 Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes Da Boot Sports 1/25/2024 By: Jason Watson Jr. BATON ROUGE, LA - Dawn Staley led her squad into a 76-70 victory in a battle of top 10 teams before a sold-out crowd at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The LSU women lead the all-time series versus South Carolina 22-18, but that holds close-to-no sentiment because the Gamecocks have been the victor in the past 14 meetings, including last season’s 88-64 throttling when both ranked in the top 3. An already electric atmosphere grew as tipoff neared. Pregame festivities included a plaza party outside of the PMAC, food trucks, a live DJ, shirt giveaways, and not to mention ESPN’s College Game Day making the trip to Baton Rouge to feature a women’s basketball game for the first time… EVER. South Carolina won the tip and scored the first basket of the game, an easy layup from Bree Hall. The offense came early and often for both sides, with Chloe Kitts leading the way for the Gamecocks and Aneesah Morrow for the Tigers. With 4:12 remaining in the opening quarter, LSU led 12-11. The Tigers went on a 9-0 scoring run over two minutes out of the official timeout before SC stopped the drought. Van Lith made her first trip to the free-throw line but missed both attempts. LSU gathered the rebound and punched it back out to Lith, where she nailed her first three-ball of the contest. The Gamecocks trailed 24-15 with nine ticks left in the first but capitalized, hitting a buzzer-beating three to draw within six. Kim Mulkey got the home crowd rowdy, and the fans got awarded for their support. Angel “Bayou Barbie” Reese got going in the second quarter with her scoring. She quickly jumped from three first-quarter points to double digits. Flau’jae Johnson joined the party and showed why she is a defensive force. Johnson poked the ball away from behind the South Carolina possession, leading to a fast break basket for the Tigers. Number four followed that up by stepping into a huge triple. Although Mulkey’s Tigers were able to extend their lead to as many as 11 in the opening 20 minutes of play, Stacey kept her Gamecocks fiery and coached them to a 6-0 run to close out the half. South Carolina trailed 41-36 as the teams headed for the locker rooms, setting the stage for an entertaining finish. The number-one team in the country did not come into Baton Rouge to lay down the fight. On the second half’s opening possession, the Gamecocks forced Reese into a turnover and finished it with a bucket on the other end. Two minutes into the third quarter, South Carolina had managed to make it a one-score, a three-point ballgame. Questionable foul calls and bad turnovers went against the Tigers through the third quarter, but the LSU women held onto their five-point advantage. Back-to-back baskets from South Carolina made it a one-point game deep into the third quarter clock, but LSU shut the door quickly and sent the game to the fourth quarter, LSU clinging to a 56-52 lead. Mikaylah Williams started the scoring for LSU in the final quarter of play with a split pair of free throw attempts.. Angel Reese picked up her fourth foul early into the period, forcing Mulkey to sit the star forward. South Carolina took full advantage of the shorthanded Tiger front court, getting to the line and tying the game. The Gamecocks took their first lead since the first FGM of the basketball game. South Carolina led LSU 63-61. Angel Reese re-entered the contest. Aggressive defensive pressure from the Tigers and clutch shots from Hailey Van Lith and Williams put LSU back in front 67-65. Reese was dealt her fifth and final foul with just over four minutes to play. South Carolina tied the game and subsequently took the lead off a deep trey from Bree Hall. Van Lith displayed why she was a top player in the nation last year by responding with a massive triple of her own to tie the game at 70 apiece, final Timeout, LSU. The Gamecocks fired back with a “not so fast.” Hall nailed a dagger three-pointer against the Tigers, putting South Carolina in front 73-70. From there, they would not look back. The LSU Tigers simply could not muster enough offense. South Carolina would make another dagger basket and hit a free throw before the final horn sounded. Kim Mulkey and the Tigers gave the Gamecocks all they could handle, but in the end, Dawn Stacey and South Carolina rolled into Baton Rouge and proved they were still the Queens of the SEC. With the dIsappointing loss the Tigers are now 18-3 overall and 5-2 in the SEC. LSU will next travel to Starkville for a road date with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Geaux Tigers! Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Photos By: Jonathan Mailhes John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) *John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring and believing in our publication!
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