MIAMI, Fla. — LSU’s third-ranked Lady Tigers basketball team used a 15-0 run to open the second half and overcame a halftime deficit and defeat Nebraska, 74-55, in the opening game of the 2005 Miami Thanksgiving Classic in Ransom Everglades High School Student Activity Center.
The Lady Tigers (3-0) trailed for most of first half and were down 36-30 at the break before coming out of the locker room with the 15-0 run. LSU took the lead 37-36 with 17 minutes to play and built a nine-point lead before Nebraska (1-2) scored its first points of the half. The Cornhuskers never got any closer than two points the rest of the way.
“We had a little more mental toughness in the second half and some people locked in with their intensity,” LSU head coach Pokey Chatman said.
Sylvia Fowles led LSU with a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds and Seimone Augustus added 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals. Fowles scored 18 points in the first half, while Augustus, who played only eight minutes in the first half with foul trouble, scored 18 of her 24 in the second half.
Quianna Chaney added 11 points and a career-high six assists and RaShonta LeBlanc had a career-high 10 points, four rebounds and four steals.
Kiera Hardy led Nebraska with 26 points and five steals.
The Lady Tigers shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the game, including 68.0 percent in the second half. The Cornhuskers connected on just 38.9 percent from the floor, including 30.4 percent in the second half.
LSU pulled down 36 rebounds, dished out 18 assists and collected 16 steals. Nebraska had 30 boards, 11 assists and committed 25 turnovers.
The Lady Tigers will play Texas A&M – Corpus Christi in game two of the round-robin tournament on Saturday at 11 a.m. CST.
LSU 74, NEBRASKA 55
Nebraska (1-2)
HARDY, Kiera 9-20 4-6 26; AUBRY, Chelsea 3-5 0-0 7; GRIFFIN, Kelsey 2-4 3-4 7; GERHART, Jessica 3-11 0-0 6; DIAZ, Elena 2-3 0-0 4; PAGE, Danielle 1-5 1-1 3; FORD, Ashley 1-1 0-0 2; WHI! TE, Sarah 0-0 0-0 0; HOWELL, LaToya 0-1 0-0 0; LAFLEUR, TK 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 8-11 55.
LSU (3-0)
AUGUSTUS, Seimone 9-14 6-8 24; FOWLES, Sylvia 8-9 7-11 23; CHANEY, Quianna 5-9 0-0 11; LeBLANC, RaShonta 5-5 0-0 10; WHITE, Erica 1-1 0-0 2; WILLIAMS, Florence 1-4 0-0 2; THOMAS, Ashley 1-5 0-1 2; MORRIS, Kristen 0-1 0-0 0; BIERNACKA, Hanna 0-0 0-0 0; WHITFIELD, Marian 0-1 0-0 0; MITCHELL, Khalilah 0-0 0-0 0; HOSTON, Scholanda 0-5 0-1 0. Totals 30-54 13-21 74.
Nebraska…………………. 36 19 – 55
LSU……………………… 30 44 – 74
3-point goals-Nebraska 5-18 (HARDY, Kiera 4-12; AUBRY, Chelsea 1-2; GERHART, Jessica 0-2; LAFLEUR, TK 0-2), LSU 1-4 (CHANEY, Quianna 1-2; HOSTON, Scholanda 0-2). Fouled out–Nebraska-None, LSU-None. Rebounds-Nebraska 30 (PAGE, Danielle 5; AUBRY, Chelsea 5; HOWELL, LaToya 5; GRIFFIN, Kelsey 5), LSU 38 (FOWLES, Sylvia 9). Assists-Nebraska 11 (HOWELL, LaToya 4), LSU 18 (CHANEY, Quianna 6). Total fouls-Nebraska 19, LSU 14. A-200
Game One–2005 Miami Thanksgiving Classic
GAME NOTES
– Seimone Augustus scored in double figures for the 65th straight game and the 100th time in her 108 career games.
– Augustus’ 24 points marks the 46th time the senior has scored at least 20 points in her career.
– Sylvia Fowles’ 23 points marks a career high.
– RaShonta LeBlanc’s 10 points marks a career high.