FAYETTEVILLE — Chelsea Dungee struggled from the free throw line earlier in the game, but she hit two big ones with 19 seconds left then came up with a blocked shot to help Arkansas hold on for a 75-71 win over LSU on Sunday in Bud Walton Arena.
The 5-11 redshirt junior made just 2 of 6 free throws, but Dungee was true on both shots in the final seconds and Arkansas held on to snap a modest two-game losing skid in front of 4,402 on Senior Day.
Arkansas (22-7, 10-6 SEC) finished in a four-way tie for third place in the SEC but will be the No. 5 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament after unraveling all the tiebreakers. The Razorbacks will play the Auburn-Vanderbilt winner on Thursday in the second game of the session.
Alabama plays Georgia in the opener at 11 a.m. in Greenville, S.C.
Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors expects the ball to go in with Dungee at the foul line. She’s struggled with her shot at times this season but he wasn’t any happier than Dungee, who finished with 10 points, to see it go in.
“For her just to see it go in has that endorphin release. It’s a good thing,” Neighbors said. “She wants to make them more than anybody. Y’all could see it on her face.”
Arkansas never trailed in the second half, but LSU stayed close thanks to a 41-32 rebounding advantage and 22 offensive boards. The Tigers pulled within 73-71 with 24.8 seconds left behind two free throws from Mercedes Brooks, but they wouldn’t score again.
Arkansas won 10 SEC games for just the second time in school history, and the tie for third is the best finish in the league in school history.
Neighbors was pleased with how his team bounced back after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.
“Really proud of the way our team responded to overcome a lot of adversity down the stretch to the game and the season to send our seniors out on a just a really historical day a little bit,” Neighbors said.
Senior Alexis Tolefree led all scorers with 17 points and made 3 of 4 free throws late to keep LSU at arm’s length. But Arkansas avoided a catastrophe late, leading by only two. Tolefree was trapped in the backcourt and threw a pass that looked to be headed out of bounds.
However, Brooks was whistled for a foul on the play. Dungee then went to the foul line and hit both free throws to push the Arkansas lead to four.
LSU coach Nikki Fargas said her team was focused on limiting the Razorbacks’ 3-point attempts and did that for the most part. She wasn’t happy, though, putting Arkansas at the free throw line so much.
“Way too many free throw attempts given and too much fouling on our part,” Fargas said. “That’s something we’ve got to correct. You’ve got to kind of pick your poison there because they’ll spread you.”
Arkansas made 23 of 32 free throws in the game, compared to 15 of 26 for LSU.
Jailin Cherry, a 5-8 junior, led LSU with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Awa Trasi and Khayla Pointer added 13 points each. Jaelyun Richard-Harris chipped in 11. Faustine Alfuwa, a 6-5 junior, also grabbed 10 rebounds.
LSU (19-9, 9-7) finished seventh in the SEC and will play No. 10 seed Florida at 6 p.m. Thursday in the SEC Tournament.
Tolefree and Kiara Williams were honored on Senior Day and both said there were some nerves knowing it was their final game in Bud Walton Arena.
“It’s a feeling I tried to prepare for and imagine,” said Williams, who finished with nine points off the bench. “But no words can get close to how I felt those last couple of seconds of the game. It’s been a long, tough road. I’m just glad I stayed and gave Coach Neighbors a chance.
"He really brought the fun back. I had gotten to a moment where I wasn’t sure if basketball was still the love of my life. But he came in and it changed.”
A’Tyanna Gaulden chipped in 11 points while Taylah Thomas added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.