By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
South Carolina extended its 17-game winning streak against LSU to 18 after defeating the Tigers 79-72 on Saturday night in front of a sold-out Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Tigers had a chance to take the lead with 45 seconds remaining, but senior guard Flau’jae Johnson missed both of her free throws. South Carolina (25-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) took full advantage on the following possession, extending its lead to three after senior forward Madina Okot finished strong in the paint to make it 75-72. Johnson threw up a prayer in an effort to tie the game, but was unable to convert. The Gamecocks put the game without of reach when Okot knocked down a pair of free throws.
With the loss, head coach Kim Mulkey dropped to 0-6 against South Carolina as LSU head coach.
Flau’jae Johnson led LSU (22-4, 8-4 SEC) in scoring with 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting. She also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out one assist.
LSU bridged the gap to begin the fourth quarter. Freshman forward Grace Knox finished strong at the rim to cut the lead to 60-59 with 7:36 left. After trading baskets, Flau’jae Johnson caught fire. Johnson hit contested layups in transition on back-to-back possessions to pull within one, forcing the Gamecocks to call a timeout with 3:44 to go in the game. Both teams traded baskets before Johnson shifted the momentum in the Tigers’ favor. She knocked down a long midrange jumper to make it 73-72 in favor of South Carolina.
South Carolina came out of the second half on fire. The Gamecocks used a 9-2 run to take a 50-42 lead with 5:15 remaining in the quarter. Freshman guard Bella Hines came off the bench and hit a couple of midrange jumpers to narrow the Gamecocks’ lead, making it 52-47 with just a little over four minutes remaining. LSU cut South Carolina’s lead to one point after senior forward Amiya Joyner finished an uncontested transition layup. South Carolina’s Ava McDowell hit a circus shot to beat the third quarter buzzer for the Gamecocks. South Carolina took a 60-55 lead going into the fourth and final quarter of the evening.
Just like they did in the first quarter, the Gamecocks struck first in the second when Okot converted on a layup with no trouble. Senior guard Raven Johnson hit a triple to cut LSU’s lead to two points with 9:00 to go. In the next couple of minutes, LSU used a 4-0 run to take a 27-21 lead. But South Carolina answered. Junior guard Tessa Johnson knocked down her next three-point shots to pull within as the Tigers held a slim 35-34 lead with 3:24 to go before the half. Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson then hit a pair of free throws to give LSU a 38-34 lead with 2:14 left to go before halftime. South Carolina would end the half on a 7-2 run to take the 41-40 lead into the break.
The opening five minutes were action-packed. South Carolina drew first blood after TaNiya Latson was able to finish in the paint on a contested layup to make it 2-0. LSU fell behind 5-0 early on, but junior guard Mikaylah Williams hit a contested three-point shot to cut into the Gamecocks’ lead. After both teams traded baskets, Flau’jae Johnson knocked down a corner three off the inbound to make it 8-7, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game. Later, Tessa Johnson drilled a three-point shot to give the Gamecocks a 12-11 lead with 5:00 to play. A couple of possessions later, ZaKiyah Johnson finished at the rim through contact to give LSU a 15-14 lead. Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley knocked down a pair of free throws to end the first frame, giving the Tigers a 21-16 lead heading into the second quarter.
LSU will return to play later this week as the Tigers travel to Oxford on Thursday to take on No. 14 Ole Miss (20-5, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
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