The LSU women’s basketball team defeated Loyola-New Orleans 93-71 in its first exhibition game of the 2014-2015 season thanks to big games from three Lady Tigers.
Junior guard Akilah Bethel opened the game aggressive and got things started for the Lady Tigers with four points and three rebounds in the early going. The Lady Tigers followed Bethel’s lead and jumped out to a 20-1 lead seven minutes into the game.
LSU forced seven turnovers in that span. That along with the Lady Tigers’ dominance on the glass is what coach Nikki Caldwell said allowed them to jump out the early lead.
“When we were making our run, we were getting our hands on those second and third opportunities,” Caldwell said.
Bethel finished the game for the Lady Tigers with eight points and nine rebounds, but committed seven turnovers. The junior said those turnovers could be credited to her anxiousness to play her first game in an LSU uniform.
Bethel sat out last season after transferring from West Virginia
But from the twelve-minute mark in the first half on, another Tiger making her return to the court took control. Sophomore guard Raigyne Moncrief posted a stat-line of 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and six steals while only committing two turnovers in 34 minutes of play.
Tonight was Moncrief’s first game since suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Moncrief said she wasn’t concerned about how her knee would hold up tonight.
“It felt good playing with my team,” Moncrief said. “I didn’t think about my knee situation. I was just ready to play.”
While Moncrief and Bethel carried the Lady Tigers for much of the game, they couldn’t do it all on their own.
LSU was up 19 points late in the first half and looked to have the game in control, but the Wolf Pack ended the first half on a 16-5 run. Then, Loyola scored 10 of the first 12 points in the second half to tie the game at 44.
Caldwell called a timeout with her team up three points shortly after Loyola tied the game, telling her team to grab control from the defensive side and let the offense flow from it.
“You create your run from the defensive end,” Caldwell said. “We really kept talking about our one-pass-away defense, our transition defense, finding and locating your player early… To me, this team is capable of putting those runs together once they decide to really get after the basketball.”
LSU outscored Loyola 49 to 27 from that point on. One reason why was another Lady Tiger making her first appearance, freshman guard Jenna Deemer.
The freshman scored 17 of her game-high 26 points in the second half, including four of her five three-pointers.
Deemer, Moncrief and Bethel’s big nights were much needed for LSU because the Lady Tigers were playing without junior guard Danielle Ballard, who is suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. Caldwell said she’s proud of the way all three stepped up to give the team a boost.
“When a team member is suspended, you look to your teammates to step up,” Caldwell said. “I thought these three ladies stepped up and really carried that load… Our team is  going to continue to do what we need to do and to compete every night for LSU.”