“She was a little frustrated,” Ajavon said. “It was just a defensive effort. ... We’re here to stay.”

Rutgers double- and triple-teamed Fowles, with Vaughn getting help from Heather Zurich.

“I tried to keep her as far away from the basket as I could,” Vaughn said.

When Vaughn got her second foul midway through the first half, it seemed Fowles might get her chances after all.

But freshman Rashidat Junaid held her own against Fowles. With three freshman on the floor, Rutgers increased its lead to 21 on another Ajavon 3-pointer late in the first half.

LSU went right to Fowles on the second half’s first possession, and she scored easily. But nothing else came easy for Fowles on an off night. Through the 37 previous games, she had averaged 17.2 points and 12.7 rebounds.

Erica White scored nine points to lead LSU, which set Final Four lows for field goal percentage (26.4) and fewest field goals (14).

“We didn’t play our best tonight, and Rutgers shot the ball extremely well. And that’s what happened here tonight and nothing else,” White said. “We just had a bad game, and it happened at the worst possible time. But I don’t think we have anything to be ashamed of.”

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