Saving the best for last isn’t always the best strategy.
The LSU women’s basketball team (18-12, 8-8) faced its toughest opponent of the season Sunday in the regular season finale, falling 80-60 to No. 4 Tennessee (28-2, 16-0).
“We did everything you can humanly do, we just caught a Tennessee team playing well. I’m proud of our kids,” said LSU coach Van Chancellor in a postgame radio interview.
Tennessee came out of the gates firing in the first half, hitting 17 of its first 25 shots and held a 24-point lead.
The Lady Volunteers finished the first half shooting 56.7 percent from the field for 44 points against the Lady Tiger’s seventh-ranked defense.
“They pulled up and shot jump shots I’ve never seen them make,” Chancellor said. “They just drilled the ball and they were hot early.”
The Tigers cut the halftime lead down to 13, ending the first half on an 11-0 run.
But Tennessee’s hot hand proved too much as the Lady Vols finished the game shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from beyond the arc.
LSU ended its streak of eight consecutive games holding its opponent to 55 points or less. Tennessee’s 80 points marks the highest output from an opponent since No. 1 Connecticut dropped 81 on LSU on Nov. 28.
“They have not shot the ball that well all year,” Chancellor said. “We just couldn’t find an answer for them. But I can’t say enough good things about our team.”
One of those good things was a surprise performance from junior forward Courtney Jones, who finished the contest with a game-high 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
Jones’ outing marks her second double-double of the season and the highest rebounding performance of her career.
“She was ungodly defending, ungodly scoring … she was just doing it all,” Chancellor said. “I thought she played as well as she can play tonight.”
Also leading the way for the Lady Tigers was sophomore guard Adrienne Webb — who finished with 17 points — and junior forward LaSondra Barrett, who had 15.
The win for Tennessee makes it the first team in the league to post a 16-0 regular season since the conference schedule expanded last year, and the first team to complete a perfect SEC season since LSU did it with a 14-0 mark in 2007.
The Lady Vols have won 19 consecutive games and clinched a 15th Southeastern Conference regular season title.
Despite the loss, LSU finished the regular season above the .500 mark for the 15th-straight season and earned a sixth seed in the SEC Tournament.
The Lady Tigers get a three day break before facing Alabama on Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn.
“We’re going to put all we have into that first game,” Chancellor said. “We’re going to go after it 100 percent.”
LSU defeated the Crimson Tide, 72-43, in their last meeting earlier this season.
 
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contact Mark Clements at [email protected]