The LSU women’s basketball team failed to advance to the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament for the first time since 2001.The No. 4-seeded Lady Tigers (20-9) could not hold onto some early first-half momentum Friday night, as they lost to No. 5 Vanderbilt (22-9), 63-61, in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament in Duluth, Ga.The Commodores lost, 68-49, Saturday in the semifinals to No. 1-seeded Tennessee, who eventually beat Kentucky on Sunday for the tournament title.Vanderbilt opened Friday’s game against LSU with a 3-pointer by senior guard Merideth Marsh. Then LSU went on a 15-0 run to put the Commodores in a hole with 12:39 to play in the first half.But the Lady Tigers again let a lead in a tight game slip away, as Marsh and junior forward Hannah Tuomi took control of the game by scoring 17 points each. Tuomi was 7-of-9 from the field, and Marsh converted all four of Vanderbilt’s 3-point shots.LSU coach Van Chancellor blamed the loss on failing to understand the importance of every possession.”At 15-3, we had Vandy right back on their heels,” Chancellor said in his postgame press conference. “All of a sudden, we think we’re going to become a 3-point shooting team. We’re out there jacking up 3-balls, and we ought to have been getting it inside trying to draw fouls.”Vanderbilt let LSU creep back with some missed shots late in the game. The Commodores led, 63-59, with one minute to play, but Marsh missed three free throws to give LSU an opportunity.LSU sophomore forward Taylor Turnbow cut the lead to two points on a basket with 20 seconds left, but senior guard Allison Hightower was double-teamed on LSU’s final possession, leaving her with no choice but to heave a desperation shot from behind half-court.”I’ve been trying for three years with 17 seconds on the clock to get her to go get the ball,” Chancellor said. “They miss a free throw, I’m down two and I got what I think is the best open floor player in the conference. I’m out of timeouts, and I can’t get her the ball.”LSU shot just 21-of-60 — 37 percent — from the floor and 3-of-14 from 3-point range Friday. Vanderbilt was much more efficient, shooting 23-of-47 — 49 percent — and 4-of-9 from behind the arc.Hightower led all scorers with 24 points, her 14th straight game in double figures. Junior guard Katherine Graham also added her fourth double-double of the season as she chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds.A rather misleading statistic was the turnover battle. LSU scored 21 points off 18 Vanderbilt turnovers, while LSU only turned the ball over seven times.”It’s the type of game that makes the entire coaching staff pretty sick,” LSU assistant coach Travis Mays said in a postgame radio interview. “As a staff, we thought we had the perfect game plan and thought we were the better team. If you would have told me they’d have 18 turnovers and we’d lose the game, I wouldn’t have believed that in a million years.”The LSU bench took only three shots Friday, with Turnbow converting the only two made baskets.Sophomore forward LaSondra Barrett was forced to hit the bench early after collecting two quick fouls. She scored nine points in 22 minutes.”We don’t need her to play 22 minutes — we need her to play about 38 minutes,” Mays said. “When she got in foul trouble there, it changed the dynamics of our team. Tonight, we couldn’t find the person to step up and fill that gap.”Chancellor gave Vanderbilt credit for sending LSU to its earliest SEC tournament exit in nine years.”They get in this baby, and they bring it,” Chancellor said. “Vandy had more heart, more character, more of everything. And that’s putting it rather nicely.”—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]