FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Marie Ferdinand scored 10 of her 26 points in the final 2:43 to rally 12th-ranked LSU to a 62-58 win over Arkansas in Fayetteville on Sunday afternoon.
The win moved LSU to 17-6 on the year and 7-3 in Southeastern Conference play. Arkansas fell to 15-9 and 5-6 in the SEC.
“The reason we won the game was Marie Ferdinand,” said LSU coach Sue Gunter. “She made a couple of tough shots down the stretch and really carried this team in the final couple of minutes.”
Ferdinand gave LSU its first lead in eight and a half minutes when she hit a driving five-footer and was fouled by Dana Cherry. She hit the ensuing free throw to give LSU a 58-56 lead with 1:31 remaining.
After an Amy Wright basket to tie the game, Ferdinand knocked down one-of-two free throws. Wright then missed a driving lay-up and Ferdinand again was fouled. She hit one-of-two for the second consecutive possession and LSU led 60-58 with 30 seconds left.
However, Lonniya Bragg threw the ball away giving it back to the Lady Tigers with 27 seconds left. Again Ferdinand hit one-of-two at the line to stretch the lead to 61-58 with 25.2 seconds remaining in the contest.
Wendi Willits missed two three-pointers that would have tied the game in Arkansas? final possession. Kisha James iced the game with a free throw with five seconds left.
“It was a struggle. I just told the kids that nothing we did was easy. Everything was difficult,” said Gunter. “But the kids reached down and grinded it out and found a way to win.”
Wth 6:09 to play when DeTrina White took a charge on a driving Shameka Christon, negating a Christon basket that would have given Arkansas a five-point lead. Ke-Ke Tardy scored 18 seconds later to cut the Lady’Backs lead to 51-50 with 5:51 to play.
Arkansas closed the gap to three, 34-31, with 16:00 minutes to play when Wendi Willits hit an eight-foot runner to cap a 9-3 run that opened the half. However, April Brown responded with two three-pointers in the next two minutes and LSU held a 42-34 lead.
“April did not have a good game, but she buried two threes when we really needed them,” Gunter said. “That is the sign of a senior. It is the little things that make a difference.”
The Lady’Backs answered again, this time with a 10-0 run, topped off by two Lakishia Harper free throws, to take their first lead of the game at 44-42 with 10:01 to play.
The Lady Tigers jumped out to an early 7-2 lead on the strength of Ferdinand as she had five points in the first four-and-a-half minutes. Ferdinand finished the half with 12.
The lead hit double-digits for the first time at 23-12 with 6:53 remaining in the first half when Doneeka Hodges stripped Cherry and took the ball the length of the court before hitting a short jumper.
The Lady’Backs shot just 23.1 percent in the first half, but hauled in 13 offensive rebounds to LSU’s three to keep it close.
Arkansas cut the lead to six at the half, 28-22, as the Lady’Backs held LSU scoreless for nearly four minutes down the stretch.
LSU will be on the road again on Thursday at 7 p.m. when it faces Vanderbilt in Nashville.