Lady Tigers’ Final Four try ends

For the fifth straight year, LSU’s dream of a women’s national title died at the Final Four.

Tennessee’s Alexis Hornbuckle made her only basket of the game, a putback with 0.7 seconds left, to defeat the Lady Tigers 47-46.

Both teams struggled mightily to score in the humid St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Sunday night.

LSU shot 35.2 percent (19-for-54) from the field while holding the defending national champion Lady Vols to an even worse 30.4 percent (21-for-69).

Nevertheless, the All-American centers had huge performances in this ugly contest.

LSU’s Sylvia Fowles played the entire game and scored 24 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked five shots while battling leg cramps. In her previous Final Four games, she averaged 8.7 points.

Tennessee’s Candace Parker went for 13 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks despite wearing a protective sleeve on her dislocated left shoulder.

With 51.7 seconds left and LSU down one, Quianna Chaney fouled the Vols’ Alberta Auguste as she hit a jumper, putting Tennessee up 45-42. But Auguste missed the free throw and at the other end, Erica White got an easy layup to bring LSU within one again, 45-44.

When Hornbuckle missed a jumper with 14 seconds remaining, White grabbed the board and dribbled up the baseline where Hornbuckle committed a foul.

Despite the Lady Tigers shooting 5-for-17 from the foul line to that point, White sank both free throws, giving LSU its only lead of the game, 46-45.

Parker took the inbounds pass with 7.1 seconds on the clock and went the length of the floor. As LSU’s defense collapsed on her, Parker fired a pass to Nicky Anosike, who blew a wide-open shot under the basket. But Hornbuckle swooped in from behind to put the ball back up and in.

The 93 points totaled made this the lowest scoring Final Four game ever.

It was also the first time since 1982 that Tennesse scored under 50 points in a game.

The Lady Volunteers played for their eighth national title against the Stanford Cardinals, which had a 23-game winning streak, last night. Results were not available by deadline.