A week away from their grueling early season schedule, the LSU women’s basketball team returns to action against Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m tonight in the PMAC.
The Lady Tigers (2-4) suffered their third consecutive loss last Tuesday against Santa Clara, 69-67. The game was LSU’s sixth in the first 12 days of the season.
With the Lady Tigers’ games stacked on top of each other, they had little time to rest and improve off the court. Then they got the rest they needed in an unexpected way.
The Santa Clara loss was part of the Hardwood Tournament of Hope. LSU had two games remaining in the tournament, but didn’t play either due to a facility conflict.
The canceled games gave LSU its first extended break of the early season. LSU sophomore guard Raigyne Moncrief said while the break was unexpected, she feels rejuvenated going into the matchup with the Lady Techsters (2-2).
“It’s good for our team,” Moncrief said. “We had quite a bit of time for us to get our chemistry together [and] get prepared the things we didn’t do last game.”
LSU coach Nikki Caldwell said she hopes the Lady Tigers can play against LA Tech with the same spark they came out with in the second half against Santa Clara.
The Lady Tigers had season-highs in 3-pointers, free throw percentage and assists with a season low in turnovers. Though they lost, Caldwell said she was happy to finally see a fire in the Lady Tigers.
“I saw a team rally from behind. I saw a team not give up,” Caldwell said. “To me, there [are] a lot of positives that we can take from that game. If we could’ve come out with that same intensity and that same fire for 40 minutes, I do feel that the outcome would’ve been different.”
With her team rested and improving, LSU faces an in-state opponent in the Lady Techsters with a coach that Caldwell knows well, Tyler Summitt, the son of legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.
Caldwell played for Pat Summitt from 1990-1994 at Tennessee and won a national championship in 1991. But Caldwell’s connections to the LA Tech coaching staff don’t stop there.
The Lady Techsters associate head coach Mickie DeMoss was an assistant coach at Tennessee during Caldwell’s playing career in Knoxville. Caldwell said she’s excited to see these familiar faces.
“I’m very and extremely happy for Tyler Summitt and what he’s been able to do at such a short period of time,” Caldwell said. “We’re going to go out and hug before the game. Then both teams are going to compete extremely hard and then we’re going to hug after the game.”
Despite the history between her and the LA Tech coaches, Caldwell said her focus remains on getting her team out of its three-game losing streak. She added that her team had some of their best practices of the season this week and are ready to get back on the court after the snafu in Mexico.
Moncrief said the Lady Tigers have to get the losing streak off their backs and then the wins can start to pile up.
“We can’t win and settle, so we get to win and continue to win,” Moncrief said. “I think we just need that one win so we can get started.”