The LSU women’s basketball team failed to move on in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after a 73-64 loss to the University of South Florida on Saturday. The loss marked the first time since 1990 the Lady Tigers (17-15, 10-6 Southeastern Conference) lost in the first round of the tournament.
It was a home game for the Bulls (28-7, 15-3 American Athletic Conference) in the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. After getting out to a five-point lead early in the first four minutes of the game, LSU allowed USF to take control with 16:09 left in the half, and the Bulls led the rest of the game to earn a game against third-seeded Louisville on Monday.
The Lady Tigers’ defense had a rough time, though it allowed USF to shoot only 37 percent from the floor. LSU couldn’t get the stops it needed to make a run and got in foul trouble early as the Bulls shot 20 free throws in the first half alone. They ended the game 22-for-29 from the charity stripe.
LSU was able to go on a run to end the first half and pulled within six after trailing by as many as 12. But the Bulls came out of the locker room and hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and the Lady Tigers were unable to recover as USF led by as many as 17.
LSU made USF junior guard Courtney Williams work for her game-high 17 points, and she connected on only 7 of her 25 shot attempts. But the Bulls had two other players in double-digits with two others tallying nine.
It was the final game for senior forward Sheila Boykin and guard DaShawn Harden. Junior forward Anne Pedersen is also an academic senior, and it’s unclear whether she will return.
Boykin has played on an injured leg for the past month, and she posted no points on one shot with three rebounds in her final game as a Lady Tiger. Harden scored 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting in her last game.