The LSU women’s basketball team said all week long that the Southeastern Conference tournament brought an entire new season.
And with a new season, the Lady Tigers (19-11, 7-9 SEC) harked back to success they haven’t seen in months and snapped a six-game losing streak, dominating Alabama (14-16, 7-9 SEC) in a 78-65 victory.
“I think you had a little bit of happiness and a little bit of relief,” said LSU assistant coach Tony Perotti. “I think it’s great we were able to get the W. … This group got some rhythm going on offense and defense, and that was a big second half for us.”
The game was a far cry from Alabama’s 78-60 drubbing of the Lady Tigers just four days before. LSU committed nine fewer turnovers and tallied nine more assists in the rematch, while the Crimson Tide attempted 32 fewer free throws.
Alabama jumped out to a 14-10 lead in the first nine minutes of the game with all its points coming from senior guard Shafontaye Myers. But eight unanswered points from sophomore guard Danielle Ballard and freshman guard Raigyne Moncrief gave the Lady Tigers a lead they never relinquished.
LSU held a 34-27 lead at halftime and extended its lead to 20 points by the 10-minute mark of the second half. Alabama made a few runs to close the lead to 10 late, but the Lady Tigers were able to close out through free throws.
One of the biggest differences between the victory and LSU’s six previous games was better shooting. The Lady Tigers shot 50.8 percent from the field, the best mark since a Jan. 30 victory against Mississippi State.
Senior forward Shanece McKinney led the team with her first double-double of the season, recording 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. McKinney went 8-of-9 from the field, and LSU has now improved to 9-0 this season when she scores in double digits.
“[McKinney] is from Alabama, and certainly wouldn’t want to end her senior season losing to Alabama twice,” Perotti said. “She played great. She had great energy, she made some big plays for us early getting on the boards and blocking shots and had a couple real aggressive plays off the dribble.”
The win sets up a rubber match between the Lady Tigers and Tennessee (24-5, 13-3 SEC) Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Gwinnett Arena. LSU beat the Lady Volunteers 80-77 on Jan. 2 in Knoxville but lost 72-67 Feb. 27 at the PMAC.
Both games involved monumental yet unsuccessful comeback attempts. Tennessee nearly came from 16 points down in the final four minutes of the first matchup, and LSU trailed by 21 at halftime of the second meeting before tying the game with three minutes left before ultimately losing.
“It’s that time of year where it’s a one-game season and you know you’ve got to play once,” Perotti said. “You don’t look ahead to the next one. We’ll happy with this for a couple more hours, and then everything will be about Tennessee.”