LSU Stops Lady Vols’ Streaks

Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles considered going to Tennessee.

Both chose Louisiana State, and on Thursday night it made all the difference for the top-ranked Lady Tigers.

Augustus scored 25 points and Fowles finished with 17 rebounds and five blocked shots, helping LSU beat No. 5 Tennessee, 68-58, in a Southeastern Conference showdown.

Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt could only heap praise on the players who got away, especially Fowles.

“She really controlled a lot of the defensive side,” Summitt said. “She made a difference with her size and ability to block shots.”

It was the first time LSU, 22-1 overall and 8-0 in the SEC, beat Tennessee (18-4, 8-1) in two years. The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for the Vols and a 42-game SEC regular-season winning streak that dated to a loss at Vanderbilt on Feb. 2, 2002.

Scholanda Hoston added 16 points for the Tigers, who drew 15,233 -- the biggest crowd in LSU women’s basketball history. Shanna Zolman led Tennessee with 21 points.

No. 2 Ohio St. 72, Michigan 39 -- Jessica Davenport had 16 points for the Buckeyes (23-2, 10-1 Big Ten), 15-0 at home this season and winners of 12 in a row overall. Michigan fell to 5-18, 1-11.

No. 9 Michigan St. 79, No. 12 Minnesota 48 -- Rene Haynes made eight of 10 shots -- including three of three from three-point range -- and scored a career-high 22 in a reserve role for the Spartans (21-3, 10-2 Big Ten) at Minneapolis. Janel McCarville had 17 points for the Gophers (18-5, 8-3).

No. 18 Georgia 67, South Carolina 51 -- Reserve Megan Darrah did all her scoring on four three-pointers in the first half and Sherill Baker had 13 points for the Bulldogs (19-6, 8-3 SEC) at Athens, Ga. South Carolina fell to 6-17, 0-9.

No. 19 Maryland 77, Wake Forest 67 -- Crystal Langhorne scored 15 points at College Park, Md., to lead the Terrapins (17-5, 6-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) to their fourth straight victory. Liz Strunk and Porsche Jones had 18 each for Wake Forest (13-9, 2-7).

No. 20 Temple 68, St. Joseph’s 49 -- Cynthia Jordan scored 15 points at Philadelphia to help the Owls (19-3, 11-0 Atlantic 10) extend a school record with its 16th straight win. St. Joseph’s fell to 5-18, 3-8.

No. 21 Vanderbilt 66, Auburn 64 -- Ashley Earley scored 17 points to help the Commodores (17-5, 6-3 SEC) defeat the Tigers (12-10, 3-6). Natasha Brackett had 20 points for Auburn.

No. 23 North Carolina St. 83, Georgia Tech 59 -- Marquetta Dickens scored 17 points to lead the Wolfpack (17-5, 6-3 ACC) at Atlanta. Stephanie Higgs scored 22 of her 25 points in the second half for Georgia Tech (13-8, 4-6).

No. 24 Wisconsin Green Bay 81, Detroit Mercy 52 -- Abby Scharlow scored 17 points to lead the Phoenix (21-2, 12-0 Horizon League) at Detroit. The Titans fell to 6-17, 3-9.

No. 25 Penn St. 67, Indiana 45 -- Amanda Brown scored 12 points and tied a career high with 11 rebounds for the Nittany Lions (15-8, 10-2 Big Ten) at State College, Pa. Indiana is 9-13, 2-10.