STANFORD, Calif. — Texas extended its winning streak to 17 games, blowing past the LSU Lady Tigers in the NCAA West Regional final, 78-60, Tuesday night in Maples Pavilion in front of 2,902 fans.
Texas (29-5) dashed LSU’s hopes of a Final Four appearance. LSU (30-4) is 0-3 in Regional Final games, never advancing past the Elite Eight. Texas treks to its third Final Four where it will meet the Huskies of the University of Connecticut on Sunday in Atlanta.
The game ended LSU’s season, in what LSU head coach Sue Gunter called a “banner year in LSU women’s basketball.”
LSU led for the first seven minutes of the game, leading by as many as seven but could never regain the lead or its tempo.
Texas then went on a 12-0 run, taking the score to 22-11. Once Texas took a 25-15 lead with about eight minutes left in the half, the Lady Longhorns never relinquished its double-digit lead, taking a 41-22 lead into halftime.
LSU had overcome first half deficits before, including their last meeting with Texas on Dec. 28, but not this time.
“We didn’t seem to have an answer for anything they wanted to do after about the first two, three, four minutes of the game,” Gunter said. “I thought for whatever reason, they seemed to want the game a little better, they worked a little harder.”
Texas led by as much as 30 points in the game with 8:18 left in regulation.
“You can’t let yourself get into the hole every game and just expect to come back,” said LSU point guard Temeka Johnson.
Although LSU outscored Texas, 38-37, in the second half, it was not enough to overcome the deficit set at the half.
“It seemed as if we took advantage of every opportunity to distance ourselves from LSU,” said Texas head coach Jody Conradt.
Texas outscored LSU in all areas except second-chance points and in the second half. The Lady Longhorns had 34 of their 78 points in the paint compared to LSU’s 22 and scored six points on turnovers, while the Lady Tigers scored four. LSU had nine second-chance points while Texas had six.
“They had an answer for every shot that we made or every turnover that we made,” Augustus said. “They came back and capitalized on it.”
Texas forward Heather Schreiber led the way for the Lady Longhorns, pouring in a career-high 32 points and pulling down eight rebounds on her way to region Most Valuable Player honors.
Texas forward Stacy Stephens and point guard Jamie Carey also made the all-region team. Stephens had a double-double , scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, eight on defense. Carey scored six in the game and had only one turnover.
Senior forward DeTrina White, who started the game in place of senior forward Ke-Ke Tardy, led LSU with 14 points and seven rebounds, five of which were on the defensive end of the floor. Aiysha Smith was the only other Lady Tiger in double digits, scoring 12. Temeka Johnson and Doneeka Hodges scored nine, while LSU’s highest scorer of the season, freshman guard Seimone Augustus, added only eight to the total.
Smith joined Schreiber, Carey and Stephens on the all-region team as did Louisiana Tech’s Cheryl Ford.
At halftime the Longhorns led LSU on 18-of-37 shooting compared to LSU’s 10-of-27. White had three defensive rebounds and led the Lady Tigers with seven points, but Stephens already grabbed seven of her 12 rebounds.
Rebounding was a big part of Texas’ game. Texas had 23 rebounds at the half, 16 of those defensive, as they pulled down many of LSU’s failed shots. LSU had one offensive rebound at the half and only eight in the end, while Texas grabbed 29 of its total 42 rebounds off defense.