Jan. 10, 2010
Box Score
Auburn vs. LSU Highlights on the SEC Digital Network
BATON ROUGE, La. - Alli Smalley hit a fadeaway 3-pointer from 25 feet out with four seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 59-59 against 11th-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge, La. The shot put Auburn (10-6, 1-2 SEC) into overtime for the second game in a row, this time with a different outcome as the Tigers held on for the 64-62 win over the Lady Tigers (13-2, 2-1 SEC).
The loss was just the second of the season for LSU and Auburn's first over a ranked team this season. The Auburn win also broke a three-game losing streak for Auburn, giving the Tigers their first victory of 2010.
"We showed a tremendous amount of resolve today to play hard and not really worry about the score," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "We wanted to play hard and work on our effort and it just really paid off for us. That loss at Florida was really tough double overtime loss and to come back on the road and win one in overtime, I can't say enough about what I think about my team right now."
Following Thursday's 71-68 double-overtime loss at Florida, Sunday's game marked the first time in nearly 14 years for Auburn to play in back-to-back overtime games. The Tigers lost at Tennessee, 72-67, in overtime on Feb. 18, 1996 and followed up with a 73-72 overtime loss at Arkansas on Feb. 20.
"The overtime loss at Florida helped us be a better team today because it taught us how hard we have to play and how well we have to execute," said Fortner. "We are limited right now, we have a limited number of players with four freshmen out of just eight players. We have to play smart, be tough and the effort has to be extreme. I think we got all of that today."
For the second game in a row, freshman Morgan Toles scored her career high. Toles followed up her 14-point effort at Florida with a 17-point, four-rebound and four-assist game at LSU. She scored 12 of her points in the second half, helping to hold off the Lady Tiger comeback and scored three of Auburn's five points in overtime.
Toles and KeKe Carrier, a native of Lake Charles, La., led Auburn in scoring with 17 points each, followed by Smalley with 14 points. Carrier also hit a career benchmark as she pulled down her 500th career rebound in the game. She finished the game with six for 505 on her career.
Smalley also made a big move as her game-saving 3-pointer gave her 14 points in the game and 949 on her career, passing Kristen Mulligan (1992-96, 944 points) for 30th all-time at Auburn. She is now just two points behind her former teammate and roommate, Whitney Boddie (2005-09, 951 points), for 29th all-time.
"Alli's shot was a big-time shot," said Fortner. "It was a play designed for her to get the shot. I was hoping she would be a little more open, but she zeroed in on that shot. I could have touched her, she was so far outside the 3-point line. That thing was right on line, what a beautiful thing to watch that ball go through the net."
Auburn jumped out quick on LSU and led most of the first half, taking a six-point lead with 4:07 left in the opening period. LaSondra Barrett got a layup with 1:28 left in the half to cut the Auburn lead to 22-18 heading into the locker room.
Barrett took that momentum into the second half, scoring 19 of her game-high 27 points in the half to lead a LSU comeback. The Lady Tigers took their first lead of the half, 35-33, with 12:32 left to play on a layup by Taylor Turnbow. LSU led throughout the rest of regulation, leading by as many as seven points, 57-50, with 1:33 left to play.
Auburn closed out the game on a 9-2 run with Carrier scoring four of Auburn's points. LSU's Katherine Graham hit two free throws with 14 seconds left in the game to give the Bayou Bengals a three-point lead, setting up Smalley for the 3-pointer that would send it into overtime.
LSU scored first in the final period, but the Tigers scored on back-to-back possessions with field goals by Toles and Jordan Greenleaf to take a lead it would not give up. Destini Hughes, who scored all three of LSU's overtime points, missed a layup with two seconds left, resulting in a Smalley rebound that sealed the win.
Greenleaf finished with nine points and nine rebounds on the day, leading Auburn on the boards. The Tigers out-rebounded LSU 46-34 in the win, turning 14 offensive boards into 10 second-chance points.
"It was important to win the rebounding battle because LSU is a good rebounding team," said Fortner. "I was pleased with that effort."
Barrett led LSU with 27 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Allison Hightower, LSU's leading scorer, was held to nine points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Auburn shot 47.5 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range. LSU hit 37.3 percent of its shots, 21.4 percent of its 3-pointers. The Lady Tigers won the turnover battle, committing only 10 to Auburn's 20, collecting seven steals along the way.
Auburn will return to action at 6 p.m., Thursday as the Tigers host in-state rival Alabama. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. with the first 500 fans receiving Auburn knit caps.