Two late free throws by junior Seimone Augustus helped No. 1 LSU clinch its 12 straight victory Sunday as the Lady Tigers snuck past Auburn 62-57 on Senior Night at Beard-Eves-Memorial Coliseum.
With the win, LSU (25-1, 12-0 Southeastern Conference) earned its best conference start in the program’s history with 12 wins.
Leading 60-57 with 5.9 seconds left in the game, Augustus nailed two free throws after pulling down her seventh rebound on a failed three-point attempt by Auburn senior Natasha Brackett. Augustus added 22 points to her seven rebounds to finish the game.
Coach Pokey Chatman said Auburn put up a good match thanks to an enthusiastic effort.
“They were having all kinds of promotions, had been playing well, were well coached, the whole nine yards,” Chatman said. “What separated it for us was our ability to execute in the first half.”
The game remained close for the majority of the first half as Auburn led 14-11 with just over nine minutes remaining until the break.
But a layup by Augustus with 7:54 remaining in the half sparked a 14-0 run by LSU as the Lady Tigers went up 25-14.
Auburn failed to pull closer than 11 to end the half as LSU went into the locker room up 33-22.
After maintaining a double-digit lead the first 10 minutes of the second half, Auburn began to pull back. A jumper by Marita Payne with 4:29 left in the game put Auburn within one, the closest they would get.
Chatman credited Auburn’s second half run to a lack of execution by LSU.
“We had a three-minute span where we turned the ball over three times,” Chatman said. “We were trying to rush a little bit, and that was a momentum-builder.”
Chatman said LSU made some mistakes that benefited Auburn.
“We helped them early,” Chatman said. “The longer it goes, the momentum builds. But we found a way to win when it came down to it.”
Freshman Sylvia Fowles earned a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Fowles also put up four of LSU’s seven blocks.
Brackett, who averages 16.4 games a contest, led Auburn with 18 points despite shooting 8-of-22.
Chatman said a strong defensive effort proved vital in the victory.
“All year, we’ve been hanging our hat on the defensive end,” Chatman said. “It was a great job in the first half in limiting [Brackett’s] touches.”
Neither team shot well with the Lady Tigers going 22-of-60 for 36.7 percent. Auburn shot just 35.5 percent on 22-of-62 shooting.
LSU hits the road Thursday when the Lady Tigers travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas. LSU concludes the regular season next Sunday at home against Florida.
“The bottom line is that we found a way to win,” Chatman said. “On the road against a good team — Pokey’s happy.”