Posted on 03/21/2006 12:14:29 AM PST by catholicfreeper
http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/featured/2497681.html NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Top-seeded LSU managed to survive a battle of attrition to make its fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance.
The Lady Tigers played the majority of the first half without center Sylvia Fowles and lost two other starters to injuries in the second half, but it didn’t matter.
Senior All-American Seimone Augustus scored 18 over her game-high 26 points during a decisive second half that sent fifth-ranked LSU to a 70-49 victory Monday over ninth-seeded Washington in the second round of the NCAA tournament before 5,051 at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium.
LSU (29-3) advances to face fourth-seeded DePaul on Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
It’s the Lady Tigers’ 10th overall trip to the Sweet 16. They’ve appeared in the last two Women’s Final Fours.
Augustus made 11 of 21 shots, including 8-of-11 in the second half and garnered all nine of her rebounds in the final 20 minutes, enabling LSU to reverse a 26-23 halftime deficit and outscore Washington 49-23 in the second half of play.
Senior guard Scholanda Hoston finished with 13 points — including a trio of 3-pointers — while Fowles responded with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Washington (19-11) was led by the 17 points of guard Cameo Hicks.
LSU lost starting point guard Erica White, who was inadvertently poked in the eye and didn’t return to play the last 12 minutes of the game. Hoston left the game twice with leg cramps, the first time at the 12:20 mark and again with the game well in hand.
LSU managed to jump out to an 11-2 lead in Fowles’ absence four minutes into the game — taking advantage of a pair of Scholanda Hoston 3-point baskets.
However, the Lady Tigers missed their next 10 shots and went scoreless for nearly eight minutes until Augustus knocked down a baseline jump, stopping a 10-0 Washington run and giving her team the lead back at 13-12.
There were two more lead changes and the game was tied twice over the next five minutes when the Huskies matched their biggest lead of the half on Kristen O’Neill’s two free throws with 22.6 seconds left for a 26-23 halftime edge
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