LSU Defense Takes Over In Second Half Against Cats

Senior Dazia Lawrence, left, and Georgia Amoore before Sunday’s game with LSU. (Vicky Graff Photo)

By LARRY VAUGHT

Kentucky built a 16-point lead in the first half against No. 5 LSU and had a 38-26 halftime Sunday in Memorial Coliseum but the Tigers put the defensive smackdown on UK in the second half to win 65-58.

LSU finished the game on a 10-2 run after an 8-0 run got UK a 52-51 lead to make the sold-out Big Blue Nation crowd come back to life in hopes of a historic upset.

Instead, LSU pounded the ball inside, got a key 3-pointer, and shut down UK’s offense in the final three minutes to escape with the win.

“Give LSU credit. I felt like the second half they wanted it a little more than we did and it showed,” Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks said. “We didn’t have the same juice. A couple of our kids (Dazia Lawrence, Clara Strack) picked up their third foul and it got to the point of inserting them back in or holding on and trying to get to the fourth quarter.

“Just a little bit of a lack of focus. You can’t do that with a team like LSU and they will make you pay for it. They made shots and made plays.”

Kentucky missed 20 of 28 shots in the second half, including 13 of 14 3-pointers. The Cats had only six points in the third quarter when LSU poured in 24 to take control of the game and wrap up a double bye in the SEC Tournament.

“That third quarter was as painful as anything I have seen,” Brooks said. “We just could not get a rhythm and get shots to fall. it took the juice out of us and took our  momentum away.”

Georgia Amoore had eight straight points for UK in the first half to help UK build the 16-point lead on her Senior Day but overall it was a difficult game for her. She finished with 16 points but was only 6-for-22 from the field. She did have five assists, three steals, and one block while playing all 40 minutes against LSU’s pressure defense.

“We just can’t put too much pressure on her. She played a little bit hurried today and gave credit to LSU. I was proud of her effort. We just needed a little bit more from everyone,” Brooks said.

Amoore was not the only UK player to struggle offensively.

— Guard Dazia Lawrence was 3-for-11 from the field and 1-for-6 from 3 to finish with nine points.

— Center Clara Strack was also 3-for-11 and also had five turnovers while being limited to 24 minutes because of foul issues. She did have nine rebounds.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey didn’t like what she saw against Kentucky in the first half but her team responded in a big way the second half. (Vicky Graff Photo)

— Forward Teonni Key was a non-factor for the first time as she missed all four shots and also had only two rebounds. Foul issues also helped limit her to just 15 minutes.

— Amelia Hassett was 1-for-8 from 3 but did have eight rebounds, two steals and one block.

The biggest positive was 6-7 freshman Clara Silva who played 30 minutes and responded with 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting, eight rebounds, and three blocks.

“Silva played as tough as she has ever played and we needed every minute of it,” Brooks said. “She was very  productive and came up with big plays and it is something for her to grow on.”

Brooks knew his team missed a chance for a signature win but also knew not to fault his team’s effort.

“We came out fought, dug in, rebounded and we made shots when we needed to (in the first half),” Brooks said. “LSU did a good job taking us out of things we wanted to do. It just wasn’t flowing like we wanted it to. We got shots but kind of fast shots and were not able to get into a rhythm and knock down shots. We got some good looks but did not capitalize.

“We gave everything we had. Sometimes we did not play smart or make the right plays but it was never because of their effort. We will learn from this. That is a team that will vie for a national championship. We have to learn from this one because it doesn’t get any easier on Thursday (against Tennessee).”