Bama Women's Basketball Falls at LSU, 76-51
1/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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BATON ROUGE, La. - Marverly Nettles turned in a dominating performance but Seimone Augustus and the second-ranked LSU Lady Tigers proved too much down the stretch, topping the Crimson Tide 76-51, on Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
With the loss, Alabama's record stands at 10-6 overall, including a 1-2 mark against conference opponents. LSU, ranked second in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, improves their overall record to 16-1 and 3-0 in the SEC.
Augustus finished with 19 points, marking her 43rd consecutive double-digit performance. The junior connected on eight of her 13 attempts from the field, pacing the Lady Tigers, who shot nearly 47 percent collectively from the field. LSU was particularly deadly from beyond the arc, connecting on six of 11 three-point attempts for nearly 55 percent.
The Crimson Tide kept pace with the Lady Tigers early in the first half, as Nettles scored Alabama's first 14 points to keep Alabama within striking distance. But a 16-0 run over the next six minutes put LSU solidly in control, and despite a late Alabama flurry, the Tigers had a 43-24 halftime advantage.
The second half mirrored the first, as the Crimson Tide could not overcome the blistering shooting of the Lady Tigers. LSU led by 20 or more points from the 19:36 mark of the second half all the way until the end of regulation.
"LSU has got a great basketball team," Alabama head coach Rick Moody said. "We didn't want to give them any easy points in the paint. But then they got rolling from the outside."
Nettles led all scorers with 26 points on six of 15 shooting, including three of five from three-point territory. She scored 17 of her 26 in the first half alone. Nettles also connected on all 11 of her free-throw attempts. Navonda Moore was the Tide's second-leading scorer, contributing nine points.
LSU dominated Alabama on the glass, pulling down 44 boards to 31 for the Tide. Sylvia Fowles led the Lady Tigers with seven total rebounds. Nettles' six rebounds was tops for the Crimson Tide.
"LSU defends very well," Moody said. "They don't give you any good looks at the basket."
Augustus was just one of four LSU players to finish with double-digits in scoring. Fowles added 13 points, while Quianna Chaney and Temeka Johnson each scored 11 points.
The Tide returns to Coleman Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 20, to face the South Carolina Gamecocks. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game can be seen on Fox Sports Net.
