Era ends at LSU as seniors depart

BATON ROUGE, La. – Technically, LSU has a chance to become the first team to reach a sixth straight Final Four next season.

Just don’t hold your breath.

What has been an extraordinary run probably ended Sunday night when eight seniors, including 6-foot-6 center Sylvia Fowles, walked off the court in Tampa after a heartbreaking, last-second 47-46 loss to Tennessee in the national semifinals.

“We’ve had an awesome career here,” senior guard Erica White said. “For any team to make it to the Final Four one time, I don’t care what anyone says, is an accomplishment. For us to get here every year is definitely something that no one can discredit. We have done some amazing things.”

Connecticut was the only other program to reach the Final Four five seasons in a row before LSU this season.

The one thing LSU never did, however, was get past the national semifinals, where LSU is 0-5. The Lady Tigers’ best two chances to make it to the championship game came in their first and most recent Final Fours, both times against familiar Southeastern Conference nemesis Tennessee.

LSU’s seniors were either incoming recruits or redshirt freshmen for a loss to Tennessee, 52-50, in 2004 at the New Orleans Arena. If they thought they’d come in and keep getting LSU back to the Final Four every season of their careers, well, they were right.

LSU won SEC crowns in the three of the last four seasons, including this season, when the Lady Tigers went 14-0 in the conference. Fowles was named the SEC’s player of the year and Chancellor coach of the year, while White and senior shooting guard Quianna Chaney both were named to the All-SEC squad.

LSU was dominant at home, where this year’s seniors finished their careers with a 54-3 record after NCAA tournament wins on campus in the first and second rounds.