The LSU women’s basketball team will seek an answer to its offensive woes at 7 p.m. tonight in the PMAC, but it won’t be easy against in-state rival Tulane’s stout defense.
The Lady Tigers (2-1) are doing what they need to do defensively, said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. LSU held its first three opponents to 53 points per game, while creating 24 turnovers per game,
But the Lady Tigers’ offense has been just as inept as its opponents’. In its first three games, LSU averaged only 59 points, 7.3 assists and 22 turnovers per game.
The Green Wave’s (2-0) defense won’t make things any easier for LSU. Tulane held its opponents to 51 points and 7.5 assists per game while forcing 26 turnovers per game.
“Defensively, [Tulane] can really disrupt you,” Caldwell said. “Ball sureness is going to be key.”
Ball security was almost the Lady Tigers’ downfall Monday during their 52-44 overtime win against Jackson State. Caldwell said her team’s decision-making and high number of turnovers were what forced its offensive struggles.
“I thought we turned the ball over too much when we had numbers,” Caldwell said. “Our decision making became not as good as we needed it to be. It was multiple players. … Everybody wanted to get a turnover, it seemed like. We’ve got to figure out how to eliminate that.”
Though the Lady Tigers have their biggest troubles offensively, they also have a tall task on their hands defensively against the Green Wave, which averages 81 points per game.
Caldwell said LSU will need to challenge itself to step up to such a high-scoring offense.
“Offensively, [Tulane has] weapons,” Caldwell said. “They’re a balanced attack. They’ve got players who can make shots, so we’re going to have to really be disciplined on the defensive end. Our goal in any and every game is to execute our defensive game plan, and that’s where it starts for us.”
Against an in-state opponent, each team carries a little extra motivation. Sophomore guard Raigyne Moncrief said the Lady Tigers need to move on from Monday’s close call because she expects the Green Wave to come into the PMAC ready to win.
“We are just going to have to be ready to play,” Moncrief said. “It starts in practice tomorrow. We need to watch the film and forget what happened [Monday] and move on. Tulane is going to be hyped up.”
You can reach Brian Pellerin on Twitter @Pellerin_TDR.