No. 6 LSU pulled off an 89-87 win against No. 16 Tennessee thanks to an acrobatic last-second basket from Kailyn Gilbert. And thanks to Gilbert’s heroics, the Tigers improved to 18-0 and are one of just three undefeated teams remaining in women’s college basketball, along with UCLA and Ohio State.
With the score tied 87-87, Gilbert got the ball with 20 seconds left in regulation and patiently waited for her chance to drive to the basket as the clock ticked down. Gilbert switched hands midway through her attempt at the rim and scored on a shot with a high level of difficulty with just 0.7 seconds remaining.
Gilbert finished the night with 22 points, five rebounds and two steals off the bench.
“People might look at it and say that’s a lucky shot. I can assure you it wasn’t,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said of Gilbert’s bucket.
LSU blew big first-half lead, but prevailed late
Thursday’s matchup was a competitive game of runs with eight lead changes and seven ties. Although LSU led by as many as 18 points in the first half, Tennessee mounted a comeback and was able to take the lead midway through the fourth.
The Tigers were up 87-84 with 50 seconds left after Flau’Jae Johnson got an offensive rebound…
