Free throws spring upset
Lady Tigers defeat No. 9 South Carolina
   A huge free throw advantage spurred LSU past the ninth-ranked South Carolina Lady Gamecocks 72 62 Sunday at the PMAC.
The Lady Tigers (14-9, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) were 29-39 from the charity stripe whereas the Lady Gamecocks (21-4, 9-3 SEC) missed five out eight free throw attempts.
“We took it to them,” said LSU head coach Sue Gunter of the large free throw differential. “We intended to make them defend us, to penetrate as much as we possibly could and to get to the free throw line as much as we possibly could.”
The Lady Tigers only committed eight team fouls compared to the Lady Gamecocks 26.
“We wanted to defend without fouling,” Gunter said. “We wanted to get on the boards and we wanted to stop their transition and we did against a very good South Carolina team.”
The victory over a Top 10 team greatly enhances the Lady Tigers chances of receiving on NCAA Tournament bid and guarantees them at least a .500 record in SEC play with two games remaining.
“This was a game that we badly needed,” Gunter said. “We needed a win over anyone, but to get a win over a Top 10 team was just huge for us and it was a great effort.”
LSU used a balanced scoring attack and a great all-around game from sophomore point guard Temeka Johnson to put away the Lady Gamecocks.
Johnson nearly racked up a triple-double with nine points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
Junior center Aiysha Smith recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Freshman guard Sholanda Dorrell had 14 points, including going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 1:12 of the game to put it away.
“This was a very big win for us and it boosts our confidence a little more,” Dorrell said. “Our confidence is coming out now and it isn’t going anywhere.”
The Lady Tigers led 33-32 at halftime and shot 55 percent from the field in the second half. They used an effective fast-break game and a decided edge in quickness to put the Lady Gamecocks away.
The Lady Tigers snapped USC’s four-game winning streak with its last loss coming against Arkansas Jan. 27.
LSU ended a two-game losing streak and will go back to action this Thursday to play Mississippi State in the PMAC at 7 p.m.
Dave Theard