NCAA Final Four Recaps

2004

With head coach Sue Gunter sitting out the last half of the season due to illness, acting head coach Pokey Chatman led the Lady Tigers to the program’s first trip to the NCAA Final Four and ironically enough, it was just down to the road in New Orleans.

The Lady Tigers’ road to the Final Four began at home in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center with victories over Austin Peay in the first round and Maryland in the second round. An 83-66 win over Austin Peay was sparked by a 21-point performance by All-American Seimone Augustus, while the Baton Rouge native poured in 26 in the 76-61 win over Maryland two nights later.

The fourth-seeded Lady Tigers now had a date with top seeded Texas in the West Regional semifinal in Seattle, Wash. LSU was looking for revenge from the year before when Texas had knocked off the top-seeded Lady Tigers in the Regional Final. Revenge is just what LSU got with a 71-55 victory over the Longhorns led by Augustus’ career-high 29 points. SEC foe Georgia would be the opponent in the Regional Final.

It would prove to be one of best NCAA Tournament games in history with the lead going back and forth until Georgia took a seven point lead with six minutes to play. LSU did not falter, chipping away at the lead using an 8-1 run in the final four minutes to take the lead and hold it for a 62-60 victory and the program’s first trip to the NCAA Final Four.

Augustus matched her career-high with 29 points, including a late free throw, while Temeka Johnson added 19 points, including a 15-foot jumper that gave the Lady Tigers the lead for good.

Augustus was named the West Regional Most Outstanding Player and Johnson joined her on the West Regional All-Tournament team.

LSU had a date with rival and SEC foe Tennessee in the national semifinal game in the New Orleans Arena, just 70 miles from the Baton Rouge campus.

The Lady Vols ended LSU’s magical run, 52-50, with a dramatic late steal and lay-up for Tennessee.

LSU ended the season with a 27-8 overall record and a run to the Final Four, the school’s first.

2008 2005

After not advancing to the NCAA Final Four in the history of the program, the LSU Lady Tigers made it two straight trips with a visit in 2005.

First year head coach Pokey Chatman, who had guided LSU to the Final Four in her hometown of New Orleans as acting head coach in 2004, led the Lady Tigers back to the promise land.

Chatman and the Lady Tigers enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history, posting 33-3 overall record and claiming the program’s first Southeastern Conference regular season title with a perfect 14-0 mark.

The first stop for the Lady Tigers was Knoxville, Tenn., where No. 16 Stetson awaited. LSU took care of business in convincing fashion, posting a 70-36 victory. National Player of the Year Seimone Augustus scored 14 points, while National Point Guard of the Year Temeka Johnson had 15 points and seven assists.

No. 9 seed Arizona was the next victim as LSU advanced to the Sweet 16. The Lady Tigers continued its domination on defense in a 76-43 victory. For the second straight game the opposition shot below 30.0 percent from the floor.

Augustus led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Johnson added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Upset-minded Liberty, the No. 13 seed, awaited LSU in Chattanooga for the Regional Semifinal. Defense again dominated the story line as the Lady Tigers defeated the Flames 90-48. Augustus and Scholanda Hoston had 22 points, while Johnson added 12 points and 15 assists.

The Duke Blue Devils, the No. 2 seed, now stood between LSU and a return trip to the Final Four.

Duke jumped out to an early lead and led for all but a few seconds of the first half until LSU battled back to tie the score at 30-30 just before halftime.

The Lady Tigers took control in the second half and held on for a 59-49 victory, earning them a trip to Indianapolis and a date with Baylor.

The RCA Dome was the site of the battle between the Lady Bears and the Lady Tigers in the National Semifinal. LSU jumped out to an early 15-point lead only to have Baylor chip back and eventually tie the score 28-28 at the break.

Unlike the Regional Final victory over Duke, this time Baylor, the eventual national champions, took control in the second half and pulled away with a 68-57 victory. 2006

After reaching the Final Four in 2004 and 2005, LSU would settle for nothing less than a return trip to the grandest spectacle in women’s basketball.

Second-year head coach Pokey Chatman guided the Lady Tigers to a 31-4 overall record, including the program’s second-straight Southeastern Conference regular season title with a 13-1 mark.

LSU took its momentum from the regular season and rode it to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season and the third time in four years. The Lady Tigers were placed in the San Antonio Region and made the first stop in Nashville, Tenn., for the first- and second-round games.

No. 16 seed Florida Atlantic awaited LSU at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium. The Lady Tigers used a 20-0 run midway through the first half and pulled away with a 72-48 victory to advance to the second round to face No. 9 seed Washington.

Washington was, in fact, playing so well that they led LSU, 26-23, at the end of the first half. The lead would not last long as the Lady Tigers shot out on a 12-2 run to open the half and never looked back to earn a 72-49 victory and a trip to the Sweet 16 in San Antonio.

Fourth-seeded DePaul was next for LSU. The Blue Demons gave it a good fight in the opening 20 minutes and found themselves deadlocked at 31-31 with the Lady Tigers at the break. Another Lady Tigers’ run to open the second half and LSU pulled way from DePaul for a 66-56 victory.

No. 3 seed Stanford upset second-seeded Oklahoma in the other regional semifinal to set up an LSU-Stanford showdown for the right to advance to Boston.

The Cardinal took a 55-54 lead with four minutes left in the game before LSU posted six straight points to hold a 60-55 advantage with 2:07 remaining.

Just over a minute later, Stanford’s Candice Wiggins nailed a three-pointer to cut the lead to 60-59, but Seimone Augustus hit a couple of free throws and drew a charging foul on the defensive end to seal a 62-59 victory for LSU.

Augustus earned Regional Most Outstanding Player honors after posting 18 points against DePaul and 26 in the win over Stanford.

In Boston, Duke, the No. 1 seed from the Bridgeport Region, controlled the game from the start and handed LSU a 64-45 loss in the National Semifinal game in the TD Banknorth Garden. 2007

Acting head coach Bob Starkey was faced with the daunting task of guiding the LSU Lady Tigers into the 2007 NCAA Tournament after closing out the regular season with three losses in the final five games, but guide he did.

After a nice run in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and a loss to Vanderbilt in the title game, LSU received a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were placed in the Fresno Regional

The road to Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena would begin in Austin, Texas at the University of Texas’ Erwin Center. LSU made quick work of the Bulldogs with a 77-39 victory. Quianna Chaney and RaShonta LeBlanc carried LSU with 15 points each and combined to hit nine three-pointers in the game.

Up next was upset-minded West Virginia, the No. 11 seed. LSU had to rally from 11 points down in the final 12 minutes of play to secure a 49-43 victory. Fowles led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Chaney added 11 points.

The come-from-behind victory over WVU advanced LSU into the Sweet 16 and a trip to Fresno, Calif., and a date with No. 10 seed Florida State at Fresno State’s Save Mart Center.

The Lady Tigers had little trouble with Florida State in a 55-43 victory. LSU led the entire game and held a 27-18 lead at halftime before breaking it open with a 10-0 to open the second half. Chaney led LSU with 22 points and Fowles added 20 points and nine rebounds.

In the Elite Eight, The Lady Tigers would face top-seeded Connecticut with a chance to avenge an earlier one-point loss at home.

LSU did just that and did it in convincing fashion with a 73-50 win over the Huskies in the Fresno Regional Final.

Fowles continued her dominance in the tournament with 23 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shot on her way to being named Regional Most Outstanding Player. Allison Hightower and Ashley Thomas added 12 points each and White posted 11 points in the victory.

A disappointing outing versus Greensboro Regional Champion Rutgers in the national semifinal in Cleveland ended LSU’s season, but the Lady Tigers could not hang their heads after a 30-8 season, the program’s third straight 30-win season.

LSU joined Connecticut as the only team in NCAA women’s basketball history to advance to five straight Final Fours as first-year LSU head coach Van Chancellor led the Lady Tigers to a 31-6 overall record and a perfect 14-0 Southeastern Conference mark.

Going into the season, the squad knew the Pete Maravich Assembly Center would be a host site for the NCAA First and Second Rounds. LSU earned a No. 2 seed in the New Orleans Regional and awaited Jackson State in the first round from the friendly confines of the Maravich Center. What resulted was one of the most dominating performances in school history and a 66-32 victory over the 15th seed. Sylvia Fowles led all scorers with 16 points, and Jackson State’s 32 total points were the fewest allowed by LSU in its NCAA Tournament history.

Two days later, the Lady Tigers tangled with a ranked Marist team, the No. 7 seed. The Red Foxes were no match for home standing LSU, who snapped Marist’s 22-game winning streak with a 68-49 win. Fowles became the SEC’s all-time leading rebounder with 13 boards while adding 19 points. LSU’s eight seniors also received a standing ovation in their final home game.

In the Sweet 16, another home atmosphere awaited at the New Orleans Arena as the Lady Tigers used a 15-0 run to top third-seeded Oklahoma State, 67-52. Erica White scored a team-high 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

All that stood between LSU and a fifth straight Final Four appearance was a battle with top-seeded and No. 1-ranked North Carolina. Fowles scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead her senior class to victory, 56-50. The senior earned New Orleans Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.

Guard RaShonta LeBlanc hit the most important shot of the game, a three pointer from the right wing with 4:30 to play that put LSU ahead by seven, 44-37, with 4:30 left.

In Tampa at the NCAA Final Four, LSU suffered a heartbreaking loss to Tennessee, 47-46. UT’s Alexis Hornbuckle rebounded a missed shot and dropped in a layup with 0.7 seconds left to play to bail the Lady Vols out after LSU’s Erica White hit two free throws with seven seconds to play. Fowles closed a brilliant career with 24 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots.