BATON ROUGE — In the first triple overtime game in LSU women’s basketball history, the fourth-ranked Lady Tigers fought off No. 20 UC-Santa Barbara, 94-90, in a contest that featured 161 field goal attempts in front of 3,205 fans on Saturday afternoon in the Maravich Assembly Center.
In the process, LSU (22-1, 9-1 SEC) made 37 of 87 field goals for 42.5 percent. There were 14 lead changes and 16 ties in the contest, as LSU won its fifth game over a ranked opponent in its past six outings.
Forward Aiysha Smith led the Lady Tigers with a career-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 51 minutes of play. She made 13 of 24 field goals, as she became the first Lady Tiger to scored at least 30 points since March 18, 2001, when Marie Ferdinand had 34 at Purdue in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Freshman Seimone Augustus shook off a 8-of-22 shooting performance to add 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a school-record 53 minutes of play. Point guard Temeka Johnson made 7-of-10 shots for 18 points with seven assists and six rebounds, and Doneeka Hodges added 10 points on only 3-of-14 shooting.
For the Gauchos (18-4, 10-1 Big West), forward Kristen Mann came off the bench to play 44 minutes and make 10 of 18 shots for 27 points and 12 rebounds. Point guard Jess Hansen, who forced overtime with a length-of-the-court layup and then triple overtime with a 25-foot three-pointer, hit 7-of-14 field goals for 23 points. Hansen hit 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
UCSB played its second triple-over game in their women’s basketball history, losing for the second time. The Gauchos lost to San Diego on Jan. 29, 1983, 91-83.
Saturday’s matchup was the second between the schools in history, with LSU also winning the first in one overtime, 77-73, in the 1996 National Women’s Invitational Tournament.
In the first half, after taking an 11-8 lead on a layup by Augustus, UCSB went on a 10-0 run over 4:15 to lead 18-11 with 8:09 to play in the half.
The Lady Tigers battled back to tie the game at 20-20 on a jumper by Smith and took a four-point lead, 29-25, with 1:45 left in the half on a jumper by Tardy.
LSU shot 48.1 percent from the field (13 of 27), while UCSB was only 10 of 30 from the field. However, the Gauchos made all seven free throw attempts and outrebounded the Lady Tigers, 20-13.
In the second half, neither team led by more than four points as their were eight lead changes. LSU had a chance to win when it was leading by four with 52 seconds remaining in regulation on a layup by Smith.
UCSB’s Mia Fisher made a layup with 37 seconds left and, after Augustus’ 16 footer rattled out, Hansen drove the length of the court for a virtually uncontested layup to tie the game at 62-62.
In the first overtime, the lead only changed hands once, as Johnson scored four of LSU’s six points including a driving jumper with eight seconds to play to force double overtime. The Gauchos could have iced the game with Lisa Willett on the free throw line and a two-point lead in the closing seconds. However, she missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw to set up Johnson’s heroics.
UCSB’s Brandy Richardson turned the ball over while driving for a winning layup when Augustus knocked the ball from her hands and came away with it as the horn blew.
In the second extra period, the teams combined for 28 points when the Lady Tigers opened the period on a 10-2 run capped by a Doneeka Hodges three-pointer for a 78-70 lead with 2:36 to play.
However, Hansen and Mann combined for eight points down the stretch as UCSB outscored the Lady Tigers 10-2 down the stretch including Hansen’s three-pointer from 25 feet with less than a second to play.
In the final period, LSU took the lead for good on a jumper by Augustus. The teams traded three-pointers before Tardy hit a pair of free throws for a 91-88 lead.
The Lady Tigers return to conference action on Thursday, Feb. 20, when they travel to Ole Miss for a 7 p.m. contest.