STARKVILLE, Miss. – Danielle Ballard racked up season-highs with 24 points and 10 rebounds as the LSU women’s basketball team scored the final six points of the contest to grind out a 71-69 double overtime victory on Thursday evening at Humphrey Coliseum.
LSU (9-8, 3-2 SEC) has won four of its six overtime decisions highlighted by a 3-0 mark during SEC play under head coach Nikki Caldwell. The Lady Tigers also won their ninth consecutive game over Mississippi State (18-2, 3-2 SEC) dating back to the 2008-09 season.
“We held tough. The one thing that I asked the players to do before the game was to name one person, and I want you them to think about them tonight,” Caldwell said. “I asked them who they were going to play to for tonight. We had relatives, we had the team. We had answers and explanations on why they chose the people. We gave that effort, we gave that toughness down the stretch and we gave the things that were needed to come away with the victory. We were playing very unselfishly, and we didn’t care who got the limelight. We wanted to make this game about LSU, and we wanted to make statement.”
For Ballard, she tallied 18 of her 24 points during the second half and the two overtime periods. She was 10-of-15 from the floor and drained the game-tying three-pointer on the right wing with 0.8 seconds remaining to extend the game into the second overtime period.
Raigyne Moncrief equaled her season-high with 18 points. She was 7-of-13 shooting and*9 distributed three assists over her 41 minutes of action. DaShawn Harden tacked on 13 points and five steals, while LSU’s post play was led by Akilah Bethel‘s seven points, four rebounds and four steals. Jasmine Rhodes chipped in three points, two steals and gave a solid defensive effort on the perimeter over her 13 minutes of action.
As a team, LSU registered a 27-of-54 shooting clip. The Lady Tigers were 2-of-7 from beyond the three-point line and 15-for-25 at the free throw line.
Mississippi State was handed its first home loss on the season. Dominique Dillingham secured 18 points aided by four triples. She added six rebounds and three assists. The Bulldogs also received 16 points, four assists and three steals from Jerika James.
Mississippi State put forth a 20-58 effort from the floor which included seven treys on 22 attempts. The Bulldogs also connected on 22-of-32 at the charity stripe. MSU held a 21-4 edge in second-chance points but were limited to only four second-chance points after halftime.
Trailing 69-65 at the 1:57 mark of the second overtime, LSU began its final flurry after Rhodes split a pair of free throws. Bethel converted a steal into layup off of the press to pull the Lady Tigers to 69-68 with 1:38 remaining.
With the shot clock running down, Ballard buried a contested and off-balanced jumper shooting with her right hand just beyond the free throw line to give LSU a 70-69 advantage with 56 seconds left.
The Lady Tigers clamped down for two more defensive stops, and Moncrief sank 1-of-2 at the line with 3.9 seconds to go to make it 71-69. MSU’s Morgan William attempt at a desperation three-pointer from three-quarter court grazed across the bottom of the net, and LSU tucked away its two-point win.
Ballard provided the heroics with a game-tying triple from the right wing to knot the score at 61-61 at the end of the first overtime stanza.
“The play action that we drew up was for a hook three and a drift three,” Caldwell said. “We were getting into it too slow, and Danielle saw the clock winding down. She lined it up, took the shot and it went in. We all just raised our hands in the air. We’re so excited not just for Danielle but for this team and the effort that they put forth tonight. It was a team win against a very good Mississippi State team.”
LSU led by as many as seven points during the second half. Moncrief buried back-to-back jumpers to place the Lady Tigers ahead 37-30 at the 16:55 mark.
Mississippi State fired back with 11 of the next 15 points over the next 7:19 off the clock. It was James who buried a three-ball to even the score at 41-41.
Down the stretch, neither team gained more than a one possession advantage. There were six ties and three lead changes. The Lady Tigers had an opportunity to win in regulation, but Ballard’s 17-foot jumper at the top of the key hit off the back iron.
LSU raced out to a 7-0 lead during the opening three minutes of the contest. Rina Hill dialed up a midrange jumper, and Moncrief hit a driving layup courtesy of a Hill assist.
The Lady Tigers stretched their lead to 27-16 after Moncrief rattled home a jumper at the 4:25 mark. Mississippi State put together a 12-4 run to slice the LSU’s halftime advantage to 31-28.
LSU continues its stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents and returns home to meet up with No. 10 Kentucky on Sunday. Tip time is on-tap for 1 p.m. from the Maravich Center, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
The LSU Sports Radio Network will broadcast the game on its flagship station Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge. The broadcast featuring Patrick Wright, the voice of the Lady Tigers, also will be available for Geaux Zone subscribers at www.LSUsports.net/live.
For all of the latest news and information on Lady Tiger basketball, visit www.LSUsports.net/womensbasketball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/LSUwbkb, @lsuwbkb and @NikkiCaldwell on Twitter, @LSUwbkb and @LSUNikkiCaldwell on Instagram.