Fowles sparks Tigers
NEW ORLEANS – LSU coach Van Chancellor can thank Sylvia Fowles for his first trip to a women’s basketball Final Four.
Fowles had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, lifting LSU to a 56-50 victory over top-seeded North Carolina on Monday night. The victory sent the second-seeded Lady Tigers (31-5) to their fifth Final Four in as many seasons.
“We knew it was our last year and we wanted to go all out,” said Fowles, named the most outstanding player of the New Orleans regional.
For North Carolina (33-3), forced to play before a hostile crowd wearing purple and gold, the loss snapped a 16-game winning streak and left the Tar Heels one victory short of a third straight Final Four appearance.
LaToya Pringle led the Tar Heels with 21 points, all but two coming in the second half, but it was not enough as the rest of her team combined for 10 points after the break.
North Carolina came in with five players averaging double figures in scoring, but Pringle was the only one to eclipse 10.
“Defense has been our bread and butter all year,” Fowles said. “We knew if we came out here and played defense our offense would pick up. We’ve played great defense the last few years.”
Chancellor coached 19 years at Mississippi, reaching four regional finals. He then moved on to the WNBA, where he won four titles with the Houston Comets. He also won a FIBA world championship in 2002 and Olympic gold in 2004 before a brief retirement.
That ended when LSU, a team with eight seniors – including all five starters – needed a coach because of the resignation last year of Pokey Chatman amid reports that she once had an improper relationship with a player no longer with the team.
Chancellor came in and guided LSU to an SEC regular-season title. The Lady Tigers got a second seed after losing to Tennessee in the championship game of the SEC tournament.
LSU’s Quianna Chaney scored 13 points.
LSU 56, N. Carolina 50
LSU (31-5)–Thomas 2-7 0-0 4, Fowles 10-18 1-7 21, White 1-5 6-6 8, LeBlanc 1-3 4-4 7, Chaney 5-15 0-1 13, Hightower 0-3 0-0 0, M.Williams 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 20-53 12-20 56.
North Carolina (33-3)–Larkins 2-11 1-2 5, McCants 4-13 0-0 9, Pringle 8-12 5-8 21, Claytor 0-1 0-0 0, DeGraffenreid 1-9 1-2 3, Bursey 0-0 0-0 0, Gray 0-0 0-0 0, McFarland 0-1 0-0 0, Lucas 2-3 0-0 4, Breland 3-9 2-2 8. Totals 20-59 9-14 50.
Halftime—LSU 24-21. 3-Point Goals—LSU 4-14 (Chaney 3-8, LeBlanc 1-3, Thomas 0-1, Hightower 0-2), North Carolina 1-8 (McCants 1-3, Lucas 0-1, Claytor 0-1, DeGraffenreid 0-3). Fouled Out—Fowles, McCants, Pringle, Thomas. Rebounds—LSU 37 (Fowles 12), North Carolina 44 (Larkins, Pringle 11). Assists—LSU 15 (Chaney, White 4), North Carolina 14 (McCants 4). Total Fouls—LSU 13, North Carolina 20. A—5,067.