COLUMBIA, S.C. — LSU, the top free throw shooting team in the Southeastern Conference, won a game on Sunday against Georgia by making free throw after free throw. On Thursday however, the Lady Tigers struggled at the free throw line until the waning seconds when freshman sensation Seimone Augustus connected on a pair from the charity stripe with 7.1 seconds left as fourth-ranked LSU held off 15th-ranked South Carolina, 69-66, here at the Carolina Center.
South Carolina had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer but the Gamecocks’ three-point attempt fell short. With the win, LSU improved to 19-1 overall and 7-1 in SEC action, while South Carolina dropped to 16-5 overall and 4-4 in league play.
Augustus’ free throws came after LSU had missed two front ends of one-and ones in the final 51 seconds of the contest that allowed South Carolina to eventually cut a 67-61 lead to 67-66 with 8.4 seconds remaining. LSU would finish the game just 10-of-21 from the free throw line.
“We ran a play to get Seimone the ball because she has been shooting them very well,” LSU coach Sue Gunter said of the Lady Tiger inbounds play following a South Carolina timeout with 11 seconds left. “We knew they had to foul somebody and they were going to have to foul quickly. We wanted the ball in Seimone’s hands.”
Augustus led LSU with 26 points, connecting on 11-of-18 shoots from the field, while Aiysha Smith added 16 and Ke-Ke Tardy 10. Petra Ujhelyi had 24 points on 11-of-20 shooting to lead South Carolina, while Jocelyn Penn added 15, Cristina Ciocan 14 and Kelly Morrone 10.
“I have to give our team credit,” Gunter said. “They bent, but they didn’t break. We just kept digging and digging in and we really got some great efforts off the bench. I thought Seimone had another outstanding game. She played hard and shot the ball very well.
“It’s a road win and we’ll take it. I’m proud of this team because this is a very good win for us.”
The Lady Tigers wanted to avoid the start they had against Georgia when they fell behind 13-4 and although LSU was a bit off from the field early, the Tiger defense was as strong as it could be. LSU’s defense was up to the challenge in the first eight minutes, as South Carolina made just two of its first 10 attempts, while the Lady Tigers built a 12-4 advantage at the 10:15 mark on a jumper by Smith.
The Lady Tigers increased the margin to 17-4 on a 3-point that beat the shot clock by Smith. South Carolina finally ended an eight-minute drought when Penn, the nation’s fourth leading scorer at 25.6 points per game, drilled a top of the key three pointer to make it 17-7.
South Carolina seemed to finally find its rhythm on offense as the Gamecocks trimmed LSU’s lead to just five, 25-20, after a 3-pointer by Morrone and a steal and layup by Penn at the 2:03 mark.
LSU fought off the run in the final two minutes as Crystal White had a putback off a rebound and then Tardy scored on a fast break pass from Augustus giving the Lady Tigers a 31-22 advantage at halftime.
While the first half was dominated by defense, each teams offense took over in the second half with LSU and South Carolina combining to hit 10 of 14 shots from the field in the first four minutes. LSU held a 41-32 lead at the 15:58 mark on a Smith jumper, before USC clawed its way back into the contest, cutting the margin to 43-38 on a bucket by Penn with 14 minutes to play.
“You have to give South Carolina credit in the second half,” Gunter said. “Coach Walvius must have really fired up in the dressing room at halftime and they came out in the second half and played very well.”
LSU stretched the margin to 49-42 with 10:28 to go on a basket by Wendlyn Jones, before another USC run cut it to 51-49 with 8:07 to play after a 3-pointer by Ujhelyi. Penn then tied the game at 51-51 with a pair of free throws with 6:53 to go.
But LSU didn’t cave in as Temeka Johnson drove and dropped in a runner to give the Lady Tigers the lead back at 53-51. South Carolina turned it over on its next possession and Augustus scored to put LSU back up, 55-51, with 6:11 to go.
LSU was able to remain in the lead over the next few minutes although Carolina did have a three-pointer in the air that would have given the Gamecocks their first lead in the final four minutes.
LSU, with Jones hitting a couple of crucial buckets, gradually opened the lead up to eight, 67-59, as South Carolina took a time out with 1:26 to go. But the Gamecocks, shooting over 60 percent in the second half, wouldn’t go away. While LSU was missing three straight free throws, including the front ends of two one-and-ones, the Gamecocks hit five straight free throws and cut the margin to 67-66 on a layup by Ciocan with 12 seconds left before Augustus sealed the victory for the Lady Tigers.