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Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > LSU > Fourth Straight Final Four Heartbreak (LSU v. Rutgers recap)
Fourth Straight Final Four Heartbreak (LSU v. Rutgers recap)
by LeAnne Harrington
Posted: April 2nd, 2007 @ 3:00am
Maybe it was a team finally needing their missing leader. Maybe it was a coach who will not be denied her date with destiny. Whichever the case may be, LSU’s fourth straight trip to the Final Four ended the same way their three previous trips have: a semifinal loss. Tonight’s defeat was at the hands of Rutgers University by a score of 59-35. It was a record-setting performance in several categories -- none of them good if you’re an LSU fan. Lowest points ever scored in a Final Four game, both individually by a team and a combined total for both teams. LSU also set a record low mark for field goal percentage in a Final Four game at 26.4%. Most people expected a defensive battle and a low scoring game with the way these two teams matched up. But no one expected this game to be as ugly as it was. There was no rhythm, no flow. It was sloppy, disjointed and ultimately frustrating for those who were pulling for LSU to do their part to make it an all-SEC championship game.
Make no mistake: many people have jumped on this purple-and-gold-Mardi-Gras-beaded LSU bandwagon. Their fan base has grown tremendously since the first week of March. People like to cheer for the underdog; we like to see triumph over adversity. Their story has been played out in the media ad infinitum, so I will not repeat the rumors and innuendo here. Suffice it to say that the face of LSU women’s basketball -- Pokey Chatman -- the fiery charismatic leader who took over for Hall of Famer Sue Gunter and had guided this team in their three prior trips here, is no longer with this program. Interim head coach Bob Starkey stepped in and did an admirable job of steadying a ship that was at serious risk of going down, buffeted as it was by the winds of uncertainty and the onslaught of media scrutiny. Starkey was a familiar face, a voice of reason -- albeit a quiet one unused to having to speak to the media or deal with the harsh glare of camera lights.
Starkey is an enigma in the increasingly high-dollar world that is women’s basketball. Stepping in to take over a high-profile team under difficult circumstances, Starkey was poised to possibly be the next face of this program. LSU athletic department officials confirmed he has been offered the position. But Starkey doesn’t want it. He said this team deserves a proven leader, one who has coached and succeeded at this level. Do my ears deceive me? In a league that has seen more than it’s fair share of former-players-turned-assistants-turned-head-coach, Starkey is a breath of fresh air. He seems to have no higher aspirations than being the best assistant coach possible. He thrives on the intricacies of the game, spending countless hours breaking down film and devising game plans. But tonight, this student of the game was schooled by a master teacher in C. Vivian Stringer.
Stringer knew LSU lives and dies with the play of Sylvia Fowles, and she devised a plan to take Big Syl out of her game. Fowles was double and triple teamed as expected, but the Rutgers inside players did an excellent job of forcing Sylvia away from the goal and out of her comfort zone. When she passed the ball back out, LSU’s perimeter players didn’t step up and hit their shots. Rutgers is quick to collapse on the shooter, but RaShonta LeBlanc, Quianna Chaney and Ashley Thomas seemed hesitant to pull the trigger; when they did fire, they were shooting blanks. These three were a combined 4-for-21 for the game. Fowles seemed frustrated, being forced away from the basket and having a limited number of touches. When her teammates were finally able to feed her a little more in the post in the second half, she rushed her shots. Fowles was held to 5 points in the game on 2-of-10 shooting.
But give credit to Rutgers. They came to play and they came to win. Shooting “lights out” from way out, they built a 37-19 half-time lead on 8-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. They seemed unstoppable, and although they cooled somewhat in the second half, their lead was virtually insurmountable. Matee Ajavon, named the Player of the Game, led Rutgers in scoring with 16 on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Essence Carson added 15 and was 3-for-6 from three point land.
Maybe the difference is C. Vivian Stringer has been here before. In three prior trips she has come away empty handed. But two of those trips were marred by personal tragedy. She has stated that Rutgers’ trip to the Final Four in 2000 was the first time she ever really got to experience what the Final Four is all about. This time she’s back and she’s hungry to win it all. Her team is driven to be the team that takes her all the way. Maybe this will indeed be her year to finally hoist that championship trophy.
What the future holds for Starkey is anyone’s guess. It is unlikely that whoever takes over the women’s basketball program at LSU will keep him as an assistant, since most coaches bring in their own staff -- those familiar with the system they will run, their recruiting wants and needs, their style of coaching. But Starkey made a good name for himself during this NCAA tournament run; he is a self-deprecating humble man who has more love for this team in his heart than he has dollar signs in his eyes. He said he considers this team to be winners, and that if he never coaches again, he’s glad he had the chance to coach this team. I wish him success wherever the future takes him.
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