Spokane, WA – Layshia Clarendon led all scorers with 19 points as the second-seeded California Golden Bears powered past the sixth- seeded LSU Lady Tigers, 73-63, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Spokane Arena.
Clarendon shot 9-of-12 from the foul line and also swiped six steals for Cal (31-3), which is set to take on fourth-seeded Georgia in the regional finals on Monday with a berth in the Final Four in New Orleans on the line. Gennifer Brandon tallied a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the win, while Brittany Boyd added 14 points, seven assists and four steals.
For LSU (22-12), Theresa Plaisance had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Adrienne Webb also scored 15 points, and Danielle Ballard netted 14 points.
A tightly-contested first half ended in a 26-26 tie. LSU outshot Cal from the field, 40 percent to 29.4 percent, but the Bears earned extra possessions with 11 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
The squads continued to battle back and forth early in the second half before Cal pieced together a 25-8 run to pull away down the stretch.
The Bears shot 26-of-41 from the foul line on the evening, while LSU was only 10-of-13 from the stripe.
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