CANCUN, Mexico — Sylvia Fowles tied the school record with her 68th career double double to lead the No. 8 LSU women’s basketball team past a feisty Miami (Fla.) team, 63-52, in the final game of the 2007 Caribbean Classic on Wednesday at the Galactic Ballroom of the Moon Palace Resort.
LSU (9-2) wrapped up the school’s first athletics trip to Mexico with a second victory in as many days.
Miami (5-7), which rallied from 20 points down to beat Southern Miss on Tuesday, gave the Lady Tigers all they could handle on Wednesday.
The Hurricanes held LSU to 40.7 percent shooting (22 of 54) and recorded 10 steals.
Behind eight seniors, LSU was the more experience and balanced team down the stretch and pulled away with a 9-0 run late in the game.
“Today’s game was not very pretty,” LSU head coach Van Chancellor said. “We did some things that we don’t normally do, but I give Miami credit. They did a great job with their zone defense against us. The bottom line is that we found a way to win.”
Fowles scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to tie former Lady Tigers great Julie Gross’s (1977-80) double doubles record in 11 fewer games played.
Despite 3-of-13 shooting from the field, guard Quianna Chaney hit 8-of-8 free throws to lead LSU with 16 points.
LSU was 15 of 19 from the free-throw line.
Guards Erica White and Allison Hightower each scored nine points, while forward Ashley Thomas had six points and nine rebounds.
Miami’s Albrey Grimsley was the only Hurricanes player in double figures scoring with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.
The Hurricanes shot 20 of 49 (40.8 percent) from the field.
LSU trailed for the first time in the Central American resort town of Cancun, 2-0, as Grimsley hit Miami’s first shot from the field 45 seconds into the contest. However, despite four ties in the first half, the Hurricanes did not lead again.
The Lady Tigers used an 8-2 run to break a 6-6 tie and lead 14-8 at the 12-minute media timeout.
With Fowles taking a breather on the bench, Miami came back to tie the game.
After Fowles returned, she broke a 20-20 tie with a layup at the 4:21 mark. White then scored the Lady Tigers’ final nine points before the break to key an 11-3 run and give LSU a 31-23 lead.
LSU maintained the advantage for the first eight minutes of the second half before Miami cut the deficit to two, 40-38, when Fowles left with an injury.
In Fowles absence, her replacement Mesha Williams scored the next two baskets to start an 8-1 run over four minutes.
Miami made one last run at the Lady Tigers in the final minutes when Charmaine Clark hit a jumper to cut the deficit to 50-46 with 4:21 to play.
However, after Reid missed a three pointer that would have cut the lead to one, Fowles began a game-clinching 9-0 LSU run with a layup. Chaney’s three pointer on the Lady Tigers next possession iced the victory.
LSU returns to the United States on Thursday afternoon, flying into New Orleans before busing back to Baton Rouge in the evening.
After a break for Christmas, LSU returns to action on Dec. 28 when the Lady Tigers completes a month-long road swing at Middle Tennessee. LSU’s next home game will Dec. 30 when New Orleans comes to the Maravich Center for a 2 p.m. game.
GAME NOTES
Sylvia Fowles reached double figures in scoring for the 101st time of her career and the 11th time this season with 13 points today.
Fowles tied Julie Gross’ LSU record for double doubles in a career with her 13 points and 12 rebounds today. Fowles now has 68 double doubles in her career.
Quianna Chaney scored in double figures for the 47th time in her career and the eighth time this season with her team-high 16 points today.