Chloe Kitts scored 14 points as No. 1 South Carolina remained undefeated and held off an upset bid from No. 9 LSU to win 76-70 on Thursday night in Baton Rouge, La.
South Carolina (18-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) extended its road winning streak to 28 games. LSU (18-3, 5-2) hasn’t beaten the AP No. 1 team since 2008.
The Gamecocks also got 13 points and nine rebounds from Raven Johnson, 12 points and six assists from Te-Hina Paopao, 11 points and eight boards from Kamilla Cardoso and 10 points from Bree Hall.
Aneesah Morrow led the Tigers with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Angel Reese had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists before fouling out. Hailey Van Lith added 13 points and Mikaylah Williams chipped in 12 points and six assists.
With 4:02 to play, Reese fouled out while trying to stop Johnson’s shot at the basket. Johnson hit both free throws, tying the score. Down three points moments later, the Tigers tied the score on a 3-pointer from Van Lith with 1:40 to play.
But South Carolina quickly responded as Hall knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to retake the advantage. Johnson clinched the win by sinking a layup with 22 seconds left, pushing the Gamecocks’ lead to two possessions.
LSU built a double-digit lead in the first frame thanks to a 15-5 run powered by seven points, a rebound and a block by Morrow. When LSU and South Carolina met last season in Columbia, S.C., the Tigers never led.
The Tigers grabbed eight offensive rebounds and turned them into 11 second-chance points in the first half. South Carolina won the rebounding battle comfortably in the second half, 22-12, and limited the Tigers to just three offensive boards over the final 20 minutes.
South Carolina outscored LSU in the paint 46-40 and hit one more 3-pointer than the Tigers.
–Field Level Media
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