No. 3 South Carolina held off No. 6 LSU 79-72 on Valentine’s Day after surviving a frantic final minute of play.
LSU cut the deficit to 73-72 and had a chance to tie with 45 seconds left, but Flau’jae Johnson missed the front end of a one-and-one bonus attempt. The Tigers had two more good looks yet came up empty again, continuing a long-range drought that plagued them all night. LSU failed to hit a 3-pointer over the final three quarters, finishing 2-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Oh, Agot Makeer!
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)
The Canadian freshman drills the corner 3⃣! x 🎥 ABC /
Neither team shot well, with both finishing under 43% from the field. LSU controlled the glass, 46-37, including a late flurry of offensive rebounds. But South Carolina made the difference at the line and from deep, shooting 47% from 3-point range and 88.2% on free throws.
Tessa Johnson scored 21 points to lead the Gamecocks, while Raven Johnson added 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Flau’jae Johnson delivered her best career performance against South Carolina with 21 points and eight rebounds, including five offensive boards, but LSU’s late misses sealed its fate.
With the win, head coach Dawn Staley secures 500th career victory at South Carolina, cementing her spot as the greatest coach in program history.
Make that 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ wins for the 𝓖𝓞𝓐𝓣
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB)
