BATON ROUGE – Senior guard Latear Eason scored 15 points in her final home game and the LSU women’s basketball team stormed back a 17-point first-half deficit to outlast South Carolina, 54-51, in an overtime thriller on Thursday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Lady Tigers (18-11, 8-7 SEC) picked up a huge victory for their postseason resume against a team that had rallied from an 18-point deficit in the previous meeting between the two in Columbia on Jan. 6. This time, it was LSU’s turn as the Lady Tigers assured themselves of at least a .500 record in Southeastern Conference play. LSU travels to No. 4 Tennessee for a 1 p.m. CT tipoff in the regular season finale on Sunday on ESPNU.
“I’m so pleased for our players and our seniors,” said LSU head coach Van Chancellor. “We had to win the game. I thought we made an adjustment defensively. Instead of going over the top of the screens when they scored on us, we started going under the screens, and we were able to shut them down defensively.”
Eason had a career-high seven rebounds to go along with her 15 points. LaSondra Barrett and Taylor Turnbow added 12 points apiece and Courtney Jones finished with nine points, including a clutch 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line. Turnbow provided the shot of the night when she buried a turnaround jumper just outside of the paint with 3.2 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
LSU suffered its largest deficit of the game with 9:14 to go in the first half as the Gamecocks built a 22-5 lead with a 16-0 run. The Lady Tigers went cold for over 10 minutes but soon worked the deficit back into striking distance. Trailing 25-17 at halftime and by 10 in the first minute of the second half, LSU mounted a 10-3 run to pull within three points when Eason made a jumper with 14:44 to go in the second half.
Free throws cost South Carolina as the Gamecocks missed five crucial ones in the final 10 minutes and finished 6-of-14 from the line. LSU converted on its end and the Lady Tigers tied the game for the first time when Barrett swished a pair to make it 39-39 with 5:18 left in regulation.
With LSU trailing 44-42, Graham called a timeout at midcourt with six seconds left. Out of the timeout, Turnbow dribbled away from the three-point line and buried a turnaround jumper from five feet on the baseline with 3.2 to go. A desperation attempt by South Carolina was no good and it sent the contest to LSU’s first overtime tilt of the year.
“I thought the Taylor Turnbow shot was as big as you could shoot the ball,” said Chancellor. “We got down, and we called a play. We got it on the floor, scrambling around. We got a timeout with six seconds to go, called an out-of-bounds play, and there wasn’t anybody open. That was a game difference.”
Turnbow then gave the Lady Tigers their first lead when she drained a bucket from just inside the three-point line to make it 49-47 with 2:08 to go in overtime. Jones followed with a three-pointer from the top of the key that gave LSU its largest lead, 52-47, with 1:27 to play.
Turnovers allowed South Carolina back in the game and the Gamecocks got two looks at potential game-tying threes that misfired. Markeisha Grant’s miss with three seconds left bounced off the rim.
LSU held its eighth straight SEC opponent to 55 points or less while also continuing its streak of holding every SEC opponent under its scoring average. The Gamecocks shot 38.9 percent. LSU finished at 34.6 percent on 18-of-52 shooting.
La’Keisha Sutton led South Carolina with a game-high 18 points.
LSU recognized three seniors – Katherine Graham, Latear Eason and Jasmine Nelson – on the court prior to the game for “Senior Night.” Senior managers Aurea Young and Jasmyn Clark also were honored.
LSU HEAD COACH VAN CHANCELLOR
Opening statement…
“I thought the Taylor Turnbow shot was as big as you could shoot the ball. We got down, and we called a play. We got it on the floor, scrambling around. We got a timeout with six seconds to go, called an out-of-bounds play, and there wasn’t anybody open. People always ask me in clinics who do you put in to throw the ball inbounds? I always put somebody throwing the ball inbounds that has more guts than anybody, and that’s Katherine Graham because you have to have a Katherine Graham to throw the ball under the basket, on the side out in a way and then Turnbow, was that a shot? That was a game difference.”
On the importance of the game for LSU’s NCAA Tournament chances…
“We had to win the game. There is no sense in talking about playing hard or playing with great effort. We just needed to win. I thought we made an adjustment defensively. Instead of going over the top of the screens when they scored on us, we started going under the screens, and we were able to shut them down defensively. Then, (La’Keisha) Sutton for them did a great job.”
On turning the table on South Carolina after what happened earlier in the season…
“I just think it’s a great win for us. We were down like they were down. We were down eight. It was just the direct opposite of the game. I had the last shot up there and couldn’t make it. I thought when we were up six in overtime, we were OK, and then they went small ball, and we just couldn’t get our hands on the ball, but in the end I didn’t think that last shot was going in. It’s a great win for our kids. (Latear) Eason was outstanding. Courtney Jones played. I thought (Katherine) Graham played great defense on Sutton. I’m just pleased for our players and our seniors.”
LSU Player Quotes
Guard Latear Eason
On halftime adjustments …
“We started out the half shaky in the first 15 minutes, but we closed out the half strong. We had the momentum and we got back to within eight points. We just knew that we had to come out strong in the second half and play strong. I just wanted to help my team offensively because we were struggling. I just did everything that I could.”
On her final game …
“I just wanted to go out there and play as hard as I could for my team. Whether it was hustling or scoring, anything I could do just to make sure that I sent these seniors out with a win because we have been through a lot these last four years. We also wanted to give the fans a good win tonight. My teammates came through tonight. Courtney Jones and Taylor Turnbow made some big shots and the bench helped as well. This was truly a team win.”
On her emotions after the game …
“It feels great. I am just glad that we came out with the win. I can’t express how I feel right now. It is just unbelievable.”
Forward Taylor Turnbow
On the last shot in regulation …
“We ran the play and the first person open was supposed to take the shot. I got the ball and we did not have any timeouts. I told myself, ‘Ok, Taylor, you have to shoot it.’ I just shot the ball and didn’t really think about it. I just let it go.”
On the team’s performance in the second half …
“Coach Chancellor told us at halftime that it was the same situation when we played at South Carolina. Honestly I wasn’t even thinking about that. I was thinking about our seniors and how much they have been through since they have been here. Latear Eason was playing so hard. She got us back in the game with a big 3-point shot. We just had to give it everything we had because I know next year we are going to want the same thing from the new team. We were just focused on playing hard.”
Forward Courtney Jones
On her three-point shot …
“I was just trying to set the ball-screen and get Latear Eason open and I just flashed to the 3-point line and I knew the clock was running out so I just shot the ball. I did not know what to say when it went in, but we really needed it.”
SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH DAWN STALEY
On South Carolina’s performance at the end of the game …
“I think when you can lead back up on a game, you have to make free throws late in the game. We usually do a much better job at converting, but it obviously wasn’t in the cards today.”
On comparing this game with the first match-up with LSU this season …
“It was a little bit different in that we turned up the pressure the first game. Here, we just really didn’t take those shots once we got the lead, and we just got complacent with a big lead. Sometimes you do that, and try to be cautious. We weren’t doing the things we needed to do to build the lead.”
On the outcome of tonight’s game and its effect on post-season play …
“I thought it would help our chances to continue to build a resume for the NCAA committee. However, if they look at our entire body of work and what we have done in the past ten games, I am sure that there is some conversation going on.”