BATON ROUGE — No. 14 Michigan overcame a 16-point LSU lead in the second half and withstood a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of regulation to defeat the LSU Lady Tigers in double overtime, 86-81, on Sunday afternoon in the Maravich Assembly Center.
Roneeka Hodges led four Lady Tigers in double figures with 17 points and six rebounds, while Doneeka Hodges had 15, Aiysha Smith scored 14 and Kisha James had 12. LSU was 33 of 78 from the field for 43.2 percent.
Michigan was led by LeeAnn Bies who had game highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds. Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Gandy each had double doubles to pace the Wolverines. Michigan shot 48.4 percent from the field (31 of 64).
The Lady Tigers (4-3) played their first game in 12 days after coming off a break for final exams, and lost for the third time against ranked opponents. Michigan (9-1), which opened the season with nine of 10 games away from home, won its ninth straight.
As both teams came out of the lockerroom cold, LSU took a 6-0 lead before the Wolverines scored their first basket of the game at the 16:26 mark of the first half on a layup by Jennifer Smith.
LSU’s Smith scored back-to-back baskets from 12 feet and two feet to help the Lady Tigers maintain the lead, 10-6, with 14:00 to play in the half. A three-pointer by Doneeka Hodges and a layup off a Michigan turnover by Roneeka Hodges put LSU up 15-8 with 12 minutes to play.
After missing her first three semesters because of academic ineligibility, sophomore guard Temeka Johnson saw her first action as a Lady Tiger with just under 12 minutes to play.
After Michigan cut LSU’s 18-10 lead to four with under six minutes left in the half, Ke-Ke Tardy and Roneeka Hodges responded with two tough baskets in the lane to put the Lady Tigers up by eight again, 22-14.
Johnson scored her first field goal as a Lady Tiger with 4:39 to play, when she stole the ball from Tabitha Pool and converted the fast-break layup. A pair of free throws by Kisha James and a jumper by Tillie Willis upped the lead to 14, 28-14.
Roneeka Hodges scored a layup on a fast break to complete the half and give LSU a 32-19 lead.
The Lady Tigers were up 37-21 when James went down with a right ankle injury with just over 17 minutes to play.
With James on the bench, Michigan went on a 12-4 run, capped by a three-pointer by Alayne Ingram with 14:35 to play. LSU led 41-33.
Coming out of a timeout, Doneeka Hodges took a pass from Johnson’s dribble penetration and hit a wide open trey before Johnson found Tardy under the basket for a 13 point lead, 46-33. The teams traded three-point plays, including a long-range shot by Roneeka Hodges from the left corner.
Michigan cut the LSU lead to seven, 56-49, when Smith converted a three-point play when she rebounded an air ball and was fouled on the successful put-back attempt. Coming out of a timeout, the Wolverines scored the next bucket and had a chance to cut the lead to four but turned the ball over for a put-back layup by Smith.
LSU led 58-51 with 5:29 to play.
After a three-pointer by Heather Oesterle pulled the Wolverines to within four, Michigan turned the ball over and Scholanda Dorrell hit a 17-foot jumper to put the Lady Tigers back up by six, 60-54.
With 2:28 to play, Michigan tied the game at 60-60 on a three-point play by Smith.
Dorrell made 1-of-2 free throws after a steal by James to give the lead back to the Lady Tigers, but Oesterle canned a trey to give MIchigan a 63-61 lead.
Roneeka Hodges then put back a missed shot to tie the game at 63-63, but fouled Oesterle on the other end. Oesterle made 1-of-2 to take the lead.
Kisha James had a chance for the lead, but a 10-footer in the lane bounced off the rim and the Lady Tigers were forced to foul with 5.3 seconds remaining. Michigan’s Smith made both free throws and a desperation three by Doneeka Hodges banked in as time expired to tie the game, 66-66.
James’ three pointer with just over three minutes left in the extra period gave LSU a 69-67 lead, but Smith answered with a three-point play on the other end to turn the tables again. More importantly, LSU’s Smith fouled out on the play.
Tardy’s free throw tied the game at 70-70, but she missed the second and then the front end of another 1-and-1.
After Michigan took the lead with a layup, James hit yet another three from the left wing and LSU led 73-72.
Bies tied the game at 73-73, but Roneeka Hodges’ layup gave it back to the Lady Tigers with under a minute to play.
Bies then tied the game again with a put-back layup, 75-75. The game went to double overtime when Doneeka Hodges missed a 22-foot three-pointer from the top of the key with three second left.
Gandy and Roneeka Hodges traded field goals to start the second extra period, but Michigan took the lead on another second-chance layup by Bies. Bies made two free throws with 3:11 to play for a four-point lead, 81-77.
Roneeka Hodges again answered in the lane to cut the lead to two, but missed two free throws after being fouled on a Michigan turnover.
Bies also missed from the line with 1:42 to play and Susana Jara did the same with 1:23. However, LSU missed two opportunities to tie the game and James fouled out.
Trailed by four, 83-79, Doneeka Hodges made two free throws. LSU again fouled Jara who made 1-of-2 with 24.7 seconds to play.
Doneeka Hodges missed a three with 14.1 seconds left and LSU was forced to foul Smith, who made both free throws to lead 86-81.