The LSU women’s basketball team continued to struggle on the road, falling to Arkansas 54-63 for its second straight loss to a Southeastern Conference opponent.

The defeat continued an unsettling trend for the Lady Tigers, who have suffered five of their six losses away from Baton Rouge.

LSU (10-6) was forced to play catch up after Arkansas (13-3) jumped out to a 14-0 lead to open the game. The run finally ended when LSU senior guard Bianca Lutley put the Lady Tigers’ first points on the board more than seven minutes into the contest.

“When we dig ourselves a hole, we have to climb out of it, and it’s exhausting,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell in a post-game interview.

The Lady Tigers were able to claw their way back into the game, even taking a short, second-half lead after a 14-3 run with 11:34 left to play.

But LSU plagued itself, committing 17 turnovers and sending the Lady Razorbacks to the free-throw line 29 times.

“They scored almost a third of their points from the free-throw line,” Caldwell said. “When you’re sending a team the free-throw line almost 30 times, they’re going to make a lot of them. I think that was a difference maker for us.”

LSU junior forward Theresa Plaisance had another strong outing, leading the Lady Tigers with 22 points and three blocks. Freshman guard Danielle Ballard had a good night with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

The Lady Tigers — who are now 1-2 in SEC play — will look to bounce back when they take on Mississippi State on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in the PMAC.

“When you’re sending a team the free-throw line almost 30 times, they’re going to make a lot of them.”