FRESNO, Calif. — Quianna Chaney scored eight of her 22 points in a 10-0 run to start the second half, as the LSU women’s basketball team ran away from Florida State, 55-43, to earn a regional final berth against UConn on Monday.
LSU (29-7), the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, was at the top of its defensive game in winning its third-straight NCAA Tournament game over a double-digit seeded opponent.
Florida State (24-10) was held to season-low 18 points in the first half and didn’t score in the first five minutes of the second half.
The Lady Tigers will face No. 1-seed UConn (32-3) on Monday at 8 p.m. for a chance at a fourth-straight Women’s Final Four.
On Feb. 11, UConn used a clutch three pointer in the waning moments to upend LSU and end the Lady Tigers’ 43-game home winning streak — a streak that dated preceded all of the current roster’s playing time at LSU.
UConn leads the all-time series against LSU, 3-0.
LSU center Sylvia Fowles again dominated the paint, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Chaney was 9-of-16 shooting with four three pointers, keying both of LSU’s two offensive runs that put the game out of reach.
Jacinta Monroe scored 15 points and Alicia Gladden added 12 for the Seminoles, who had never made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament before shocking second-seeded Stanford, 68-61, on the Cardinal’s home floor Monday night.
Florida State was trying to join Lamar as the only double-digit seeds to make it to the regional final. Lamar did it as a No. 10 seed in 1991.
After making their first shot of the game, Florida State missed 18 of 21 including an 11-minute span without a basket.
Chaney hit consecutive three pointers to start a 13-2 run that game LSU a 20-8 lead with less than six minutes left in the first half. A drought by the Lady Tigers allowed FSU to close the game before Allison Hightower hit a jumper with six seconds left to give LSU a 27-18 lead.
When LSU made its first five field goals of the second half, the lead ballooned to 37-18.