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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Marie Ferdinand knew she could get her team
going, and when she started doing her thing, there was no stopping
the Lady Tigers.
Ferdinand had 15 of her 22 points in the second half Saturday,
and added eight assists and several big plays that kept LSU in
control as the Lady Tigers beat second-seeded Duke 79-66 in the
women's NCAA East Regional semifinals.
|  | | Marie Ferdinand rises for a layup Saturday during her 22-point performance for the Tigers. |
"My teammates feed off me," the junior guard said. "Once I
get it started, they pick it up. I pick up the whole team and
that's what I wanted to do."
Ferdinand sparked the go-ahead 12-0 run that put the Lady Tigers
ahead to stay with about 13 minutes to play, then countered late
Duke baskets with a 14-foot jumper and a driving layup, keeping LSU
comfortably ahead down the stretch.
"Throughout the season, I've been taking what the defense gives
me," Ferdinand said after going 9-for-14 from the field. "If they
get up on me, I'm just going to go by them. Once I saw that clear
lane to the hole, that's what I did."
DeTrina White scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half and
had 11 rebounds for LSU. April Brown had 16 points and Katrina
Hibbert 14 as the third-seeded Lady Tigers moved into the round of
eight for only the second time.
"More than anything else, I'm happy for LSU and I'm happy for
this team," said coach Sue Gunter, in the final eight for only the
second time in 36 years of coaching. "I think it makes a great
statement for our program at LSU.
"I think maybe now people will understand LSU and perhaps spell
it right."
Duke (28-6), which lost six seniors off last season's national
championship finalists, then lost No. 2 scorer and rebounder Peppi
Browne 20 games into this season, was led by Lauren Rice with 17
points and Georgia Schweitzer with 14.
"They deserved to win," coach Gail Goestenkors said of the
Lady Tigers (25-6). "They hit tough shots all game long and
loosened things up when they started hitting outside shots. They're
probably the best passing team that we've faced."
LSU had 22 assists on 30 baskets.
Duke took its biggest lead at 40-34 early in the second half
after Schweitzer hit a 3-pointer, then stole the ball at midcourt
and drove for a layup.
But the Tigers stayed close by pounding the ball inside to
White, who finished 9-of-10 from the field, and then let Ferdinand
lead them down the stretch.
"She's got a very good first step," Schweitzer said of the LSU
guard. "She also has a nice pull-up jumper. She elevates on her
shot. She's a good player."
Trailing 47-42 with 12:56 to play, LSU scored 12 straight
points. Ferdinand started the run with a nifty feed to White inside
and a layup off a steal. She ended it with a layup off a loose ball
that made it 54-47 with 8:36 left.
Duke got no closer than seven over the final four minutes.
Neither team led by more than four in the first half, and Duke
led 31-30 at the break after Missy West hit a 3-pointer with 38
seconds left. Hibbert answered with her second 3-pointer 22.5
seconds before the half.
The Blue Devils came in having made more 3-pointers than the
Lady Tigers attempted during the season and seemed intent on
exploiting that advantage. Duke took 11 3s during the first half,
but made only two, while LSU was 3-for-5.
Duke finished 5-for-21 from 3-point range and shot only 37.3
percent overall on 25-for-67. LSU shot 55.6 percent, 30-for-54, and
was 3-for-8 on 3s.
"I thought eventually our shots would start falling. We have a
lot of shooters," Schweitzer said. ""It just didn't happen for
us today."
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
LSU NCAA Team Report
Duke NCAA Team Report
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Marie Ferdinand picks up the bucket and the foul for the Tigers.
avi: 642 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Missy West drives the baseline and hits the reverse.
avi: 613 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Lauren Rice gets the ball in the paint and gets the shot to drop.
avi: 474 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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