Freshman Danielle Ballard scored a career-high 25 points as LSU knocked off No. 12 West Virginia 71-63 Friday night, handing the Mountaineers their first loss of the season.
After 12 ties and 10 lead changes, the Mountaineers got within 65-63 with 1:42 left. The Lady Tigers (2-2), coming off back-to-back losses at Hampton and Georgetown, held them scoreless the rest of the way.
Ballard made a layup and Theresa Plaisance was 4 for 4 from the free-throw line to seal the win in the FIU Thanksgiving Classic.
Leading 38-36 with 18:08 left, the Lady Tigers went cold, failing to score for more than 4 minutes. However, West Virginia (3-1) scored only six points during that span, and LSU quickly regained the lead.
West Virginia, which came in holding opponents to 49.7 points per game, was led by Taylor Palmer with 15 points. Ayana Dunning, who transferred from LSU, scored 11.
