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USC's catch-up vs. LSU stops short
Gaps remain too wide for young team playing new roles
USC's C.J. Pace is tied up by LSU's Ayana Dunning, left, and LaSondra Barrett in the first half of their game. A jump-ball was called.
Jeff Blake/jblake@thestate.com
Written by CHRIS DEARING
Special to The State
Posted on 01.30.09
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Dawn Staley was the star guard on the 2004 Olympic team coached by current LSU coach Van Chancellor. In the gold medal game, Staley scored the final 14 points and Chancellor credited her with being responsible for the victory.
So it came as little surprise to the second-year Tigers coach that South Carolina put up a fight to the end — even though the Gamecocks will play for at least the next two weeks without the services of their two top scorers.
LSU led from the outset but had to hang on down the stretch for a 63-56 victory Thursday night at the Colonial Life Arena.
“As a player, she is a tough, tough nut and her teams are exactly like she is,” Chancellor said. “What you saw out of them tonight — fight, never giving up — that is what Dawn Staley is as a player.”
It was the type of resiliency Staley must get from her players since the injuries to Demetress Adams and Brionna Dickerson. Adams is out for the remainder of the season; USC lost Dickerson for at least two weeks with a right knee injury she suffered Sunday.
Staley was pleased with the effort, given the fact it was the first time the Gamecocks played with so many players stepping into different roles in the 20th game of the season.
What she wants to see now is the team being able to make plays down the stretch that will help win games.
“You never know what hand you’re going to be dealt but I thought our team is playing the best that it can,” Staley said. “I’m pleased with the effort. I think we’re getting better overall in that department. It’s boiling down to playing discipline at crucial times in the game where you can get yourself back in the game to win it or take yourself out of it.”
South Carolina (9-11, 1-6 SEC) trailed by as many as 15 points in both halves, but the Tigers could never fully pull away.
Lakeisha Sutton and C.J. Pace kept the Gamecocks within striking distance and pulled within five on three occasions in the final four minutes.
Sutton scored 19 points and Pace added 11 to lead USC.
LSU (11-7, 4-2) put things away when USC scored two points in the final 2:47.
“I thought about twice we had them in the second half where we would go ahead and get some separation on the game,” Chancellor said. “I should have known a Dawn Staley-coached team was not going to go away.”
Staley’s roster has one senior and eight freshmen or sophomores among the nine healthy players.
But Staley pointed to LSU as an example of not using inexperience as a crutch. The Tigers have gone to five consecutive Final Fours but are young this year with three freshmen starting and three contributing off the bench. Freshman LaSondra Barrett led the Tigers with 19 points.
“I know we’re young, but we have to coach like we coach,” Staley said. “We can’t coach youth, we’ve got to coach basketball. We have to instill in them a certain discipline so we can win some basketball games.”
Buzz
KEY MOMENT: South Carolina closed the margin to five points three times in the second half but could never get closer. The best chance came at 59-54 when they got a steal at midcourt but missed the layup. LaSondra Barrett then hit a wide open baseline jumper with 2:11 remaining to push the margin back to seven.
STAR OF THE GAME: Barrett was a force on the inside. She finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 26 minutes because she battled foul trouble most of the second half.
POINT OF EMPHASIS: Since the season-ending injury to Adams, USC does not have a player taller than 6-foot-1. The Tigers dominated on the inside and had a 39-29 rebounding edge and Taylor Turnbow teamed with Barrett on the inside to score almost at will. They combined to go 12-of-17 from the field for 29 points.
INJURIES: None reported
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