BATON ROUGE, La. — For the second straight game, Vanderbilt women’s basketball led on the road with less than two minutes to play but fell just short. LSU scored the last seven points and won a wild back-and-forth affair 61-55 inside Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night.
All eight Commodores contributed in the scoring column, led by three in double figures. Junior guard Chelsie Hall finished with a team-high 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting in addition to a team-best four assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals.
How it Happened
LSU (19-8, 9-6 SEC) led 15-11 after the first quarter and held a 21-15 advantage midway through the second quarter.
But Vanderbilt (13-15, 3-12) responded with its first big run of the game. The Commodores scored eight in a row and 10 of 12. In the final road game of their collegiate careers, seniors LeaLea Carter and Mariella Fasoula each had four points in the run as Vanderbilt took a 25-23 lead.
Sophomore Jordyn Cambridge knocked down a jumper from the free throw line just before the buzzer for a 27-26 edge at the break.
LSU started the second half on an 8-2 run and led 34-29.
But once again, Vanderbilt responded.
The Commodores went on a 13-2 run behind four different scorers and took a 42-36 lead with 2:43 left in the third quarter. Vanderbilt maintained the six-point lead, 44-38, after three quarters.
LSU chipped away and went ahead 49-48 with 5:27 left before Vanderbilt went back in front and led 53-49 with 3:14 left.
Hall knocked down a baseline jumper for a 55-54 lead with 2:22 to play, but LSU scored the last seven points of the game to pull out the win.
By the Numbers
Fasoula added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds while junior forward Autumn Newby contributed 10 points, five rebounds and led the team with four steals — which matched a career high.
Carter had six points and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench.
Vanderbilt shot better than 45 percent, but LSU was also efficient at 44 percent. The Tigers held a slight 35-30 lead on the boards and in the paint 34-26.
On Deck
Vanderbilt closes out the 2019-20 regular season with senior day against Kentucky at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Postseason basketball begins March 4-8 at the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. Vanderbilt will have either the 12 or 13 seed and will play Auburn or Missouri on at 10 a.m. CT Wednesday in the first game of the conference tournament.
