STARKVILLE, Miss. — Ke-Ke Tardy scored five of her 17 points to spark a 12-5 run in the final three minutes that gave No. 11 LSU a 70-63 victory over No. 17 Mississippi State in Starkville on Sunday afternoon.
Tardy’s biggest basket came with 1:51 to play as she hit a 17-footer from straight away to extend LSU’s lead to 62-58.
“Ke-Ke Tardy was the difference in the game today,” said LSU coach Sue Gunter, who coached her 900th game today. “I cannot think of a mistake that she made. She did a great job defending, rebounded extremely well, shot the ball well and did not force anything.”
The win improved LSU to 10-4 on the year and 1-1 in Southeastern Conference play. Mississippi State fell to 9-4 overall and 0-2 in the league. It is the eighth consecutive time the Lady Tigers have beaten State.
LSU led by as many as nine a few times in the second half, last at 52-43, before Mississippi State began to come back. Cynthia Hall capped a 15-6 Lady Bulldog run with a three-pointer at the 3:22 mark in the second half, which knotted the game at 58-58. She fouled out on LSU’s next possession after scoring seven second half points.
“It is a road win in the SEC and those things are tough to come by,” Gunter stated of the way the Mississippi State rallied. “You don’t get them easy.”
The Lady Bulldogs were never able to take the lead as Marie Ferdinand converted on two free throws following the Hall foul to give LSU the lead back.
An intentional foul on Jennifer Fambrough against DeTrina White sealed the game for the Lady Tigers as White knocked down both free throws. Ferdinand hit two more free throws on the ensuing possession to give the Lady Tigers a 70-61 lead with seventeen seconds remaining..
Ferdinand finished the game with 20 points despite shooting just 5-of-13 from the field. She was 9-of-14 from the foul line.
LaToya Thomas led all players with 28 points and 13 rebounds in the contest. She was 14-of-22 from the field. Fambrough added 15 for M:ississipppi State.
“I don’t know if there is a better combination in the conference than Fambrough and Thomas. When you add Hall in there they are a tough team,” Gunter said.
LSU twice led by as many as nine in the first half. Tardy, who scored 10 points in the opening frame, hit two free throws with 2:56 remaining in the half to give the Lady Tigers a 29-20 lead. After a Mississippi State basket, Angelia Crockett made it 31-22 as she was the recipient of a Ferdinand assist.
The lead was just six at intermission as Fambrough nailed a three pointer on the Lady Bulldogs final possession of the half for a 31-25 score. Mississippi State committed 10 turnovers and shot just 32.4 percent 11-for-34 shooting in the first half.
LSU returns home to face Arkansas at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.