Chloe Kitts scored 14 points as No. 1 South Carolina remained undefeated and held off an upset bid by No. 9 LSU to win 76-70 in front of an announced crowd of 13,205 fans on Thursday night in Baton Rouge, La.
“It had all the dynamics of what you want every women’s basketball player to experience,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. “It was the team that made the last play that was going to win this basketball game.”
South Carolina (18-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) extended its road winning streak to 28 games. LSU (18-3, 5-2), which hasn’t beaten the AP No. 1 team since 2008, saw its 29-game home winning streak end.
The Gamecocks also got 13 points and nine rebounds from Raven Johnson, 12 points and six assists from Te-Hina Paopao, 11 points and eight boards from Kamilla Cardoso and 10 points from Bree Hall.
Aneesah Morrow led the Tigers with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Angel Reese had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists before fouling out. Hailey Van Lith added 13 points, Mikaylah Williams chipped in 12 points and six assists, and Flau’jae Johnson scored 10.
“I’m not into moral victories, never have been. We had opportunities to win this game and we didn’t,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “I’m extremely proud of LSU and the atmosphere and what we created here — it doesn’t get any better than what you experienced tonight. … We’ll learn from it.”
With 4:02 to play, Reese fouled out while trying to stop Raven Johnson’s shot at the basket. Johnson hit both free throws, tying the score for South Carolina. Down three points moments later, the Tigers tied the score on a 3-pointer from Van Lith with 1:40 to play.
But South Carolina quickly responded as Hall knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to retake the advantage. Johnson clinched the win by sinking a layup with 22 seconds left, pushing the Gamecocks’ lead to two possessions.
Staley said after the game that former Gamecock Aliyah Boston — now a WNBA player with the Indiana Fever — said something to Hall during a fourth-quarter timeout that “relaxed her” before she hit that crucial shot from behind the arc.
LSU built a double-digit lead in the first frame thanks to a 15-5 run, powered by seven points, a rebound and a block by Morrow. When LSU and South Carolina met last season in Columbia, S.C., the Tigers never led.
“We fought hard. In the first half, we played some great basketball against the No. 1 team in the nation. I’m proud of my teammates,” LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson said. “I’m not tired; I’m frustrated.”
The Tigers grabbed eight offensive rebounds and turned them into 11 second-chance points in the first half. South Carolina won the rebounding battle comfortably in the second half, 22-12, and limited the Tigers to just three offensive boards over the final 20 minutes.
“We’re going to play for 40 minutes, no matter what the score is. Don’t matter if we’re down double digits or up double digits big,” Staley said. “We try to respect the game. We try to respect our opponents and try to figure out ways to close that gap. It was all us the first half, and I do think LSU had a lot to do with it. Once we settled in, it was still a dogfight.”
South Carolina outscored LSU in the paint 46-40 and hit one more 3-pointer than the Tigers. The two teams will not meet again for the remainder of the regular season.
–Field Level Media
