BATON ROUGE — LSU’s stellar defense limited No. 20 Georgia to 41 points, tying for its fewest in an SEC game in school history, and Katherine Graham scored 16 points as the Lady Tigers survived a defensive struggle, 47-41, in the Pink Zone Game benefiting the Baton Rouge affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (15-8, 5-4 SEC) picked up a much needed win over a ranked team at home, its first since last season, and the Lady Tigers vaulted into sole possession of sixth place in the Southeastern Conference standings with seven games remaining.
“Our players did a great job,” said LSU head coach Van Chancellor. “I thought our defense today was as good as the Lady Tigers have ever played. They don’t get a field goal in the last four minutes except for the shot at the end. We did a great job of rebounding, not fouling and defending. Latear Eason did a really nice job on (Jasmine) James because she is a really tough matchup for us. Courtney Jones also gave us a little pizzazz, a lot of spirit and a lot of hustle.”
Sunday’s game closed a four-game homestand for LSU, who now must hit the road for five away contests during the month of February. LSU recognized breast cancer survivors at halftime as over 80 people participated in the “Parade of Survivors” while national country musical artist Candy Coburn performed.
“Playing in the Pink (Zone) Game and in front of all the breast cancer survivors is big for this team because Coach (Bob) Starkey’s wife survived breast cancer and I think a lot of people on this team know somebody that is either battling cancer or has battled cancer,” said Graham. “Coming out and playing like we know how to play in front of breast cancer survivors and for the great cause of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure is an honor.”
After starting out 6-0, Georgia (16-5, 6-2) dropped its second straight conference game and lost in Baton Rouge for the sixth consecutive meeting. The Lady Bulldogs haven’t won at the Maravich Center since Jan. 14, 2001. They have failed to get out of the 40-point range in three straight meetings.
Graham finished 6-of-12 from the floor, and Adrienne Webb added 11 points. Courtney Jones provided a spark off the bench with eight points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
LaSondra Barrett, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, matched her career high with 12 rebounds to go along with six points. Barrett became the 17th player in school history to gather 500 rebounds and score 1,000 points. She came into the contest with 1,000 points and 499 boards. Barrett eclipsed the mark in the opening minute with the first rebound of the game.
LSU frustrated Georgia offensively with tough man-to-man defense. The Lady Bulldogs were held to a season-low 21 points at the half, and they would finish with the fewest in an SEC game since putting up 41 in a 52-41 loss to Tennessee in Athens on Jan. 14, 2007.
Georgia’s only lead came on the game’s first basket, but LSU jumped ahead early when Webb scored seven points in the first five minutes. Georgia head coach Andy Landers quickly called a timeout following a Graham jumper that made it 14-7 with 14:53 in the first stanza.
The Lady Bulldogs went over five minutes without a field goal and lay-ups by Graham and Taylor Turnbow gave LSU its largest lead of the game, 23-12, with 3:58 to go in the first half. Georgia responded in the first six minutes of the second half, going on a 9-2 run and coming within one point, 31-30, with 16:03 left after a Jasmine James jumper.
LSU turned up its defense and held the Lady Bulldogs without a field goal for eight minutes. Tamika Willis broke the dry spell with a bank shot at the 8:24 mark, but LSU’s offensive struggles kept Georgia within striking distance at 36-32. The deficit shrunk to one on a Willis free throw, but LSU out-lasted the Lady Bulldogs in the final seven minutes.
Graham and Jones got to the free throw line and each knocked down a pair. Graham then put in a reverse lay-up with 0:58 remaining that secured the victory and extended the advantage to 45-38. Webb buried two free throws for LSU’s final tally. James’ desperation three were the only points for Georgia in the final four minutes.
Despite shooting a woeful 2-of-21 (0-for-15 in the second half) from 3-point range, LSU managed to improve to 56-5 under Chancellor when holding a team under 50 points. Georgia finished at 29.1 percent for the game, while the Lady Tigers shot 28.6 percent as a team.
Jasmine James led Georgia with a game-high 16 points.
LSU’s road heavy month of February begins at 7 p.m. CT Thursday against Vanderbilt in Nashville. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net South and Fox Sports Net Houston.
LSU HEAD COACH VAN CHANCELLOR
Opening Statement …
“Can you believe that the Lady Tigers won a basketball game and in the second half shot 0-for-15 from the three point line? You would think you could close your eyes and shoot 0-for-15. We shoot 48 percent for the game. Let me tell you who won this game for us, (associate head coach) Bob Starkey. Bob Starkey has a defensive mind, works hard and stays up all night and he had a great defensive plan. Our players did a great job. I thought our defense today was as good as the Lady Tigers have ever played. They don’t get a field goal in the last four minutes except for the shot at the end. We did a great job of rebounding, not fouling and defending. Latear Eason did a really nice job on (Jasmine) James because she is a really tough matchup for us. Courtney Jones also gave us a little pizzazz, a lot of spirit and a lot of hustle.”
On the fast start this game …
“Looks like we have to have a quick start because if we don’t we don’t win. We had a quick start and then had a slow down, but we out-rebounded them and we out-defended them.”
On what the difference was in this game as opposed to the Arkansas game even though LSU shot poorly in both …
“We didn’t turn the ball over. We didn’t come out and foul and we didn’t come out and give up second chance points. If you don’t foul, give up second chance opportunities and you don’t turn the ball over you are doing all you can do. Against Arkansas I don’t think we were doing all we could do. I thought we had a lot more positives. If we had done the things we did tonight we would have beat Arkansas the same way. You can’t give up rebounds, you can’t foul and you can’t give up drives. It’s simple.”
On the offensive rebounds …
“I am amazed we only scored 47 points when we had 18 offensive boards. That indicates that if we don’t get the offensive boards we don’t win today. Late in the game (LaSondra Barrett) and Courtney (Jones) got some unbelievable offensive boards. That gave us more opportunities. We missed the shot, but we still got to run some clock off.”
On the winning three games in the four-game home stand …
“We were three and one and had a good ranked win, but I just wish we could have found a way to win Thursday. I am never going to be happy about that. Otherwise the other three games we were as good as we can be. Georgia has a really good defensive team. They got in a 2-3 zone today and just packed it in. We couldn’t get it inside, and if we can’t make the outside shot they are just going to keep packing it in.”
LSU Player Quotes
On getting back on track after Thursday’s loss …
“Thursday night was disappointing as you all saw, so we just set it in our minds that this is our last home game during this stretch and we wanted to go out and play very hard in front of our fans. The Pink (Zone) Game made it even more special. Having a nationally-ranked team like Georgia come in, we knew the win would be very good for us – not only for our team, but for our RPI and the momentum and the confidence we would gain going into this two game road stretch.”
On the offensive struggles during the game …
“That is basketball. Every player goes through stretches where your shot falls and then it doesn’t. You shoot it right, but you just don’t know what’s wrong. A team win means people stepping up. Katherine Graham stepped up and Courtney Jones – who has been absent for a while – stepped up. That is what we need to build momentum. I don’t just score. I also have to focus my energy on rebounding and playing defense, something else to contribute to the win. Since my shots were not falling, I had to do something else.”
On the importance of the win …
“This is not about just helping our team’s RPI, but it also helps boost our team morale. Coach Chancellor was on us pretty hard and we felt bad about the loss to Arkansas. As a team, we got together and in spite of everything going badly, we decided we needed to come out and play hard and get this win in front of our fans and the breast cancer survivors.”
On the game plan against Georgia …
“Throughout practice, we worked on taking away some of their strengths. We know what a great transition team they are with outstanding athletes, and with transition, they also crash the boards very hard offensively. We wanted to limit our turnovers and limit them getting extra possessions off our turnovers and off our offensive rebounds and getting second-chance points.”
On the intensity of the game …
“I don’t think any basketball player hasn’t played in a game like that. I think when you are in those types of situations, those are the times when you have to lock in. Every possession counts and we needed to make sure we get stops on one end and get quality offensive productions on the other. Playing in the pink game and in front of all the breast cancer survivors is big for this team because Coach (Bob) Starkey’s wife survived breast cancer and I think a lot of people on this team know somebody that is either battling cancer or has battled cancer. Coming out and playing like we know how to play in front of breast cancer survivors and for the great cause of the Susan G. Komen is an honor.”
On the different players stepping up …
“I think we all have it in us to score, rebound or defend. I don’t think Katherine Graham had a bad game, I just think we all wanted to win. We said at practice that we all needed to come together and have each other’s back and uplift each other whether we miss a shot or have an incorrect defensive assignment. It is just about having each other’s back and stepping up and wanting to win.”
GEORGIA HEAD COACH ANDY LANDERS
On not being able to take back the lead …
“We counted 12 times that we could have taken the lead in the second half, but I think both teams are very good defensively. Both did a great job of defending each other. They (LSU) were better at getting to the offensive board, and I think that’s where the difference was today. The defenses are both very good, but when they get the offensive boards 18 times, we have to repeat the defensive effort eight times. To me, that’s the way the game played out. I wasn’t particularly pleased with the first five minutes of the game and how we started. I wasn’t pleased with the energy, and that concerns me greatly. They started well, and jumped us there. We never did get it back, but came close about twelve times in the second half. We really got some nice looks, and we executed pretty well during that stretch. We were trying to set up, get a couple of threes and do some different things. We didn’t hit anything from the outside. I don’t remember hitting maybe but one shot from the outside the entire second half.”
On the past two losses …
“Any team that is at the top of the standings has a target. Any team that is ranked has a target. You have teams that are doing well, teams that aren’t doing well and teams that are struggling. For those struggling teams, the teams that are doing well become a prize. I know from a coaching standpoint that you really want to get those guys, and I could sense that at South Carolina especially. It doesn’t help that you’re Georgia, and that you are 30-5 at South Carolina prior to Thursday night. Those kinds of things don’t play out in your favor.”
On Jasmine Hassell’s performance …
“I thought she was great. I thought her guards were great at getting her the basketball. I thought that in the first five minutes we should have had it in her hands almost every time. Her guards were looking her off and driving for some reason. We never once thought we could get the ball driven to the basket as we prepared for LSU. They are great containment. Their defense isn’t that exterior pressure. It is contained and held. Rarely do you see people drive the ball all the way to the basket and score.”
On Porsha Phillips coming back to LSU …
“Porsha is 22 years old, and she was here for a year. She has been at our place for four. I’m not even sure that there is anyone on the team that she even played with. The coaching staff has changed. I don’t understand why it would be a big deal.”