Lady Tigers headed to Tampa – Fowles leads team to NCAA Women’s Final Four

For the fifth straight year, Louisiana State University’s Lady Tigers are headed to the NCAA Women’s Final Fours.

After beating top-seeded, second-ranked North Carolina 56-50 Monday night, the Lady Tigers became the second team in history to pull off five visits to the Final Four.

Over 5,000 fans packed the New Orleans Arena to cheer on LSU.

Senior Sylvia Fowles was the top scorer for the Lady Tigers, sinking 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, guiding incoming LSU head coach Van Chancellor to his first career national semifinal in his 20th collegiate season.

LSU will face the winner of top-seeded Tennessee and second-seeded Texas A&M. The two are slated to play Sunday night in Tampa, Fla.

Connecticut is the only other NCAA Women’s basketball to advance to five-straight Final Fours. They accomplished that feat in 2000-2004.

If the Lady Tigers pull off a win, it would the team’s first national semifinal victory.

Going into Monday night’s game, the Lady Tigers had the dubious distinction of being the fourth-worst free-throw percentage team in tournament play. But that all changed against the Tar Heels.

The Lady Tigers made 13-of-15 free-throws in the final 3:46, holding North Carolina to a four-point difference in the final six minutes of the game.

Fowles made 10-of-18 shots and had five blocks on the defensive end.

LSU’s Quianna Chaney had 13 points and four assists, while point guard Erica White was 6-for-6 from the line to finish with eight points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Guard RaShonta LeBlanc hit a three-point basket from the right wing with 4:30 to play, which put LSU ahead by seven, 44-37, with 4:30 left in the match.

The top shooter for the Tar Heels was center LaToya Pringle.

She scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting before fouling out with only seconds left on the game clock.

North Carolina senior Erlana Larkins had five points and 11 rebounds, while Rashanda McCants added nine points and nine rebounds.

Jessica Breland had eight points and nine rebounds in just 24 minutes.

LSU finished 20-of-53 shooting (37.7 percent), while North Carolina was 20-of-59 (33.9 percent).

LSU missed its first five free throws, but hit 12 when they most needed it.