BATON ROUGE — Playing with only seven players, the LSU women’s basketball team shot 57.4 percent from the field (35 of 61) to take a 24-point second-half lead and hold off Mississippi State, 88-77, on Thursday night in the Maravich Assembly Center. With a strength of schedule in the nation’s Top 10, the 15th win of the season drastically improves the Lady Tigers’ chances of a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
After losing reserve center Tillie Willis to a torn anterior criciate ligament on Wednesday, the Lady Tigers had to shoot well against the Lady Bulldogs and stay out of foul trouble. They accomplished both against the Lady Bulldogs — 57 percent from the field and only 11 fouls. The Lady Tigers improved to 15-9 overall and 8-5 in Southeastern Conference play, while Mississippi State fell to 17-10 overall and 7-6 in league play.
LSU moved into a fourth-place tie with No. 15 Florida in the SEC, as the Lady Gators beat Arkansas, 64-58, in Gainesville, Fla. The Lady Tigers play their final game of the regular season on Sunday against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where they have not won since Feb. 8, 1986 (83-82). An LSU win would give the Lady Tigers a bye in next weekend’s SEC Tournament.
The Lady Tigers led 63-39 with 11:46 to play in the game and started the second half on a 20-5 run. Mississippi State cut the lead as low as nine in the final miunte of play.
Aiysha Smith led six Lady Tigers in double figures with 20 points (9 of 12 from the field), while Doneeka Hodges had 16, Scholanda Dorrell and Temeka Johnson had 14, and Roneeka Hodges and Ke-Ke Tardy had 12 each.
All-SEC forward LaToya Thomas and freshman Tan White combined to score 59 of MSU’s 77 points, 33 and 26 respectively. However, the Lady Bulldogs were only 29 of 74 from the field for 39.2 percent, including 6 of 27 from three-point range (22.2 percent).
Thomas’ three-point play gave Mississippi State a five-point lead, 11-6, with 16:16 left in the half, as the Lady Bulldogs made 5-of-8 shots to start the game.
With 12:25 left in the half, LSU took its first lead of the game, 18-17, on a layup by Roneeka Hodges. LSU made 9-of-15 shots to open the game for 60 percent, led by Smith’s 4-of-5 from the field and Johnson’s five assists.
With the score tied at 21-21, MSU abandoned Thomas, missed seven-consecutive three-pointers and allowed the Tigers to take a four-point lead at the seven-minute mark, 27-24. The Lady Bulldogs, who average better than 16 three-point attempts per game (and make 6.2), missed their first 10 treys.
LSU took a 10-point lead, 35-25, with 4:06 to play in the half as it continued to hover near 60 percent from the field.
After the Lady Bulldogs cut the lead to five with less than a minute to play, Smith made a turn-around jumper from three feet and Johnson drove the lane for a layup and a nine-point halftime lead, 41-32.
To open the second half, the Lady Tigers increased the lead to 16, 53-37, on a pair of free throws by Johnson and layups by Tardy and Doneeka Hodges with 15:13 to play.
Two more free throws by Tardy moved the lead to 18 before Smith scored her first basket of the half to give LSU a 20-point advantage, 57-37.
Tardy made back-to-back 16-foot jumpers as the onslaught continued with 12:47 remaining in the game. The Lady Tigers outscored MSU, 20-5, to start the second half.
With 6:57 remaining in the game, Mississippi State cut the lead to 15, 67-52, as it went back to Thomas and Tan, offensively. The lead was as low as 10, 76-66, with 3:46 to play, and below 10 in the final minute.