OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss’ Bianca Thomas poured in a Tad Smith Coliseum record 42 points, and 12th-ranked LSU could get no closer than seven points in the final three minutes as the Lady Tigers dropped their second straight Southeastern Conference game by a score of 80-71 on Sunday afternoon in Oxford.
LSU (13-3) fell to 2-2 in league play after opening the conference season 2-0. Ole Miss (12-5) won its third consecutive game and improved to 3-1 in the SEC. The Lady Tigers saw their four-game winning streak against the Rebels come to an end. LSU had won 15 of the last 16 games in the series.
“It’s amazing we let one player beat us,” LSU head coach Van Chancellor said. “Ole Miss played really well and hard. Everybody wants to beat LSU. They outplayed us in every phase of the game. We have to find a way to step up and make plays, but we made bad decisions. We have our backs against the wall and we have to get better.”
Thomas, the SEC’s leading scorer at 21.7 points per game, turned in one of the most dominating performances against an LSU team in history. Thomas finished 13-of-26 from the floor, added 12 free throws and became the first player to eclipse the 40-point mark on LSU since Amber Holt of Middle Tennessee had 41 on Dec. 28, 2007.
“She made shot after shot,” Chancellor said. “She was outstanding and we had no answer for her. Give her credit. They had a good offensive scheme against us.”
LSU sophomore LaSondra Barrett nearly matched Thomas with a career-high 30 points and 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double. Barrett knocked down 10-of-18 shots and finished with the first 30-point game by an LSU player in an SEC regular season game since Seimone Augustus scored 32 points against Alabama on Feb. 23, 2006.
Senior guard Allison Hightower added 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for her second career double-double, while point guard Latear Eason dished out a career-best eight assists. LSU, however, could not match Ole Miss’ outside shooting as the Rebels finished 9-of-18 from beyond 3-point range and shot 51 percent for the game.
LSU came within two points following a Courtney Jones layup and a free throw at the 8:21 mark, but the Rebels countered with a 7-0 run and took advantage of LSU’s foul trouble. Ole Miss was in the bonus in the final 10 minutes of the game. A pair of free throws each from Thomas and LaKendra Phillips made it 69-60 under the seven-minute mark.
Thomas scored eight of Ole Miss’ final nine points and four of those came from the free throw line. Hightower pulled LSU within 78-71 with a 3-pointer from the left wing, but Thomas put the game away with two free throws at the 2:04 point. LSU went the final 2:50 without a point.
Both teams shot a blistering percentage from the floor in the first half, but Ole Miss held the upper hand thanks to a 6-of-9 effort from 3-point range. The Lady Tigers held a 23-20 advantage following a Taylor Turnbow fade-away jumper with 9:16 left until halftime, but Thomas responded with five straight as Ole Miss led the remainder of the half.
Elizabeth Robertson buried three 3-pointers in the half. Ole Miss shot 57.7 percent from the floor and scored 15 points off 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. LSU, meanwhile, was equally effective from the floor at 55.2 percent.
The Rebels held their largest lead of the half when Robertson worked her way through the lane for a layup with two seconds remaining. Ole Miss held a 42-35 advantage into the locker room.
LSU begins a three-game homestand on Thursday against South Carolina in the Maravich Center. The game will tip at 6 p.m. CST and be televised live by Cox Sports Television. The Lady Tigers then welcome No. 4 Tennessee to town on Sunday, Jan. 24 for a 5 p.m. CT tip on ESPNU. LSU will retire the jersey of Seimone Augustus prior to the game. Fans are asked to arrive by 4:30 p.m.