The Lady Tigers earned their 15th consecutive victory against Alabama thanks to another clutch performance from senior forward LaSondra Barrett, but it was closer than they would’ve liked.
LSU (17-8) only shot 33 percent from the field in its 51-46 win against the Crimson Tide (11-15), who came into the game with the Southeastern Conference’s worst scoring defense.
“Offensively, we missed a lot of easy shots,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell in her postgame radio show. “We’ve got to make layups, and we’ve got to make free throws.”
Nearly half of LSU’s scoring output came from Barrett, who tallied 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the contest.
After taking over LSU’s last game against Mississippi State by scoring LSU’s final 10 points, Barrett again turned it on late as the senior scored seven of LSU’s final nine points, giving LSU its first lead at the 1:39 mark with a short jumper.
“I want to compliment LaSondra Barrett for really setting the tone again for this team and getting herself to the free throw line and playing very aggressive off the bounce,” Caldwell said.
Barrett passed Temeka Johnson on the Lady Tigers all-time career scoring list, and is now No. 13 in school history with 1,432 points.
On paper, it looked like LSU’s third straight win was a sure thing. The Crimson Tide came into the game with a 1-10 conference record, and the Lady Tigers blew them out by 44 points in their first meeting Jan. 8.
But Alabama came to play Sunday trying to beat LSU at its own game with solid defense and a post-oriented offensive attack.
The strategy worked most of the game, evidenced by LSU’s poor night from the offensive end. But ultimately it was the staunch effort by the Lady Tigers that decided the victor.
The Tide only scored 19 second-half points after LSU tightened the clamps defensively, causing Alabama to shoot 5-of-28 from the field in the second half.
“This group hung tough on the defensive end,” Caldwell said. “You have to bring your defense and your rebounding, that’s what’s going to get you out of these games.”
Senior forward Courtney Jones made up for her 2-for-11 shooting day by grabbing 12 rebounds in the contest.
“Although [Jones’] layups and paint points weren’t there for her, I do appreciate the effort she had on the defensive end to come up with some key rebounds for us,” Caldwell said.
Although a five-game conference losing streak looked like it might have derailed LSU’s shot of playing at home in the NCAA tournament, the Lady Tigers have now won three consecutive conference games.
The Lady Tigers are off until Thursday, when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for a rematch against an Arkansas team that beat them, 72-52, in their last meeting.
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]