NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With three games needed to win an SEC Tournament title, the top-seeded LSU women’s basketball team was able to rest its starters for most of the second half of an 80-36 blowout victory over Ole Miss in the quarterfinals on Friday at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
LSU (26-4), which was presented with the league’s regular-season trophy prior to the game, looks to break the champion’s jinx that dates back to 2000. The regular-season champion hasn’t won this prestigious tournament since Tennessee did so in Chattanooga eight years ago.
The Lady Tigers will face No. 4-seeded Kentucky, which knocked off No. 5 seed Georgia on Friday, 57-50. LSU defeated Kentucky twice during the regular season by margins of 26 in Lexington and four in Baton Rouge.
Tonight’s 44-point win doubled the Lady Tigers largest SEC Tournament victory in history, a 25-point win over Kentucky in the quarterfinal round of the 2002 tournament. It was the third-largest margin in the SEC Tournament’s 29-year history.
“It has been a long time since I’ve been in this tournament,” LSU head coach Van Chancellor said. “It feels really nice to be in the semifinals.”
Chancellor, who coached at Ole Miss for 19 seasons, has not had a team in the semifinals since 1996.
The Lady Tigers advanced to the semifinal round for the seventh-straight season. They will face the winner of tonight’s 6:30 p.m. CST match-up between No. 4-seed Kentucky and No. 5-seed Georgia.
Ole Miss’ (13-16) season ended against the Lady Tigers on day 2 of the SEC Tournament for the third-straight season.
The Lady Rebels’ 36 points were a tournament record-low.
Guard Quianna Chaney found her stroke with three three-pointes early in the second half to lead all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Center Sylvia Fowles extended her career SEC double doubles record to 80 with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
LSU point guard Erica White added nine points and seven assists, while reserve forward Mesha Williams played well while Fowles was out with two first-half fouls. Williams had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in 14 minutes.
Reserve forward Kristen Morris added eight points and eight rebounds, while Allison Hightower had seven. All 12 Lady Tigers played at least seven minutes and scored in the contest.
“Our team played very well today,” Chancellor said. “I also thought our bench played their best game of the year today.”
Ole Miss struggled from the field throughout the contest, finishing 14-of-62 from the field (23 percent). The Lady Rebels were also dominated on the boards (50-34) and committed 16 turnovers.
No Lady Rebels player scored in double figures, as reserve Carla Bartee had nine points on 4-of-12 shooting.
After trailing for the first two-plus minutes, Chaney tied the game at 5-5 with an old-school three-point play. Fowles continued the Lady Tigers’ 13-2 run with a pair of free throws before Thomas hit an open jumper from the right baseline.
Hightower came off the bench and immediately entered the scoring column by hitting a three pointer. Chaney’s fast-break layup with 13:02 capped the run and extended the LSU lead to 15-7.
Ole Miss’ Forrest and LSU’s Williams swapped three-point plays just before Fowles picked up her second personal foul with 9:11 to play in the first half. The SEC Player of the Year went to the bench with an 18-10 lead.
The Lady Rebels narrowed the gap to six, 18-12, on a pair of Goff free throws, yet LSU responded with a 9-0 run that included five-straight points by White and a 17-foot Hightower jumper. LSU led 27-12 with 5:13 to go in the first half.
Williams continued her stellar play in relief of Fowles by making a short running jumper in the paint. Shortly after, LeBlanc buried a three pointer and White answered a banked-in 18-footer by Forrest with a dunk-under 15-foot jumper to start a 7-1 run at the end of the half.
As LSU made 8-of-12 baskets to end the half, Chaney’s first three pointer with just under two minutes to play was the final field goal before the break.
LSU led 39-19 at the break.
The second half was no contest, as Ole Miss’ poor shooting and LSU’s hot hands led to a a blowout.
The Lady Rebels were ice cold from the field, going 2-for-21 to start the second half. Meanwhile, LSU dominated with its starters playing only eight minutes.
Speaking of cold, Nashville expects temperatures in the 20s on Friday night and Saturday with 3-5 inches of snow.
GAME NOTES
– Quianna Chaney moved into second-place on LSU’s career 3-pointers attempted list in today’s game, passing Doneeka Hodges. Chaney finished the game with nine attempts today for 540 in her career.
– Quianna Chaney moved into second-place on LSU’s career 3-pointers made list in today’s game, passing Doneeka Hodges. Chaney made four 3-pointers today and now has made 191 in her career.
– Quianna Chaney scored in double figures for the 24th game this season and the 63rd game of her career with 17 points today.
– Sylvia Fowles scored in double figures for the 27th game this season and the 117th game of her career with 10 points today.
– Sylvia Fowles recorded her 17th double double of the season and the 80th of her career with 10 points and 10 rebounds today.
– LSU advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament for the seventh straight season and then 14th time in the 29-year history of the tournament.
– LSU’s 44-point victory over Ole Miss is the largest margin of victory for the Lady Tigers in the SEC Tournament, besting the 25-point victory over Kentucky in the quarterfinal round of the 2002 tournament. The 44-point margin is the third largest in the history of the SEC Tournament.
– LSU’s defense held Ole Miss to a SEC Tournament record-low 36 points.
2008 SEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
FIRST ROUND – Thursday, March 6
Game 1 – #8 Ole Miss def. #9 Mississippi State, 54-49
Game 2 – #7 Florida def. #10 South Carolina, 71-57
Game 3 – #5 Georgia def. #12 Alabama, 71-62
Game 4 – #6 Auburn def. #11 Arkansas, 73-51
SECOND ROUND – Friday, March 7
Game 5 – #1 LSU def. #8 Ole Miss, 80-36
Game 6 – #2 Tennessee def. #7 Florida, 92-61
Game 7 – #4 Kentucky vs. #5 Georgia [RSN] 6:30 pm
Game 8 – #3 Vanderbilt vs. #6 Auburn [RSN] 9 pm
SEMINFINALS – Saturday, March 8
Game 9 – #1 LSU vs. Game 7 winner [RSN] 5:30 pm
Game 10 – #2 Tennessee vs. Game 8 winner [RSN] 8 pm
FINALS – Sunday, March 9
Game 11 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner [ESPN2] 6:30 pm