LSU sophomore guard Raigyne Moncrief steps up to the free throw line, and the PMAC falls silent.
Fans hold their hands up in the air, as Moncrief takes a breath and the sound of her practice dribbles echo throughout the PMAC.
Moncrief hits both of her free throws, but that’s not the norm for the LSU women’s basketball team. Accuracy behind the line has not been consistent in the key points of close games to start this season.
“You have to make it,” Moncrief said. “This is a free shot, so you don’t want to mess it up. In practice, you are just shooting it and if you miss it — it’s okay — but if you miss it in games it’s like, ‘Aw man.’ I think when people overthink it the pressure gets to you.”
The Lady Tigers have shot 67.9 percent from behind the line through their first seven games.
LSU has especially struggled in the second half, shooting only 64.6 percent from behind the line.
Against Jackson State on Nov. 17, LSU’s struggles shooting free throws in the second half almost cost them a victory.
The Lady Tigers shot only 33.3 percent in the second half against Jackson State, which contributed to Jackson State outscoring LSU 23-14 and forcing overtime.
LSU turned it around in overtime, shooting 4-for-5 from behind the line, which accounted for half of the Lady Tigers’ points in that period.
“It’s been up and down,” said senior forward Sheila Boykin. “That has been a tremendous emphasis for us before games for us. We have to make free throws because that does make a big difference in the game.”
Although LSU squeaked by with a victory against Jackson State, the Lady Tigers’ inability to handle close situation late against Tulane on Nov. 19 led to their second loss of the season.
LSU shot only 56.3 percent from behind the line in the second half, while the Green Wave shot 69.2 percent.
Free throw shooting became a major focus for the Lady Tigers after the Tulane loss.
“We’ve been working on our free throws,” Moncrief said. “You have to get in the gym by yourself to work on your free throws. We definitely got to get the free throw together and do well on that, especially when we go on the road.”
Individually, players have taken responsibility for improving their own free throw shooting.
Following the Tulane loss, junior guard Akilah Bethel said her focus in preparation for the next game was making free throws.
Bethel has shot 6-for-8 from behind the line since shooting 2-for-4 against Tulane.
Despite their troubles shooting free throws at home, the Lady Tigers shot their best free throw percentage in the one game they played in the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, against Santa Clara on Nov. 25.
LSU hit 77.8 percent of its free throws against Santa Clara, including a season-best 81.8 percent from the line in the second half.
The Lady Tigers look to continue their success on the road during their tournament in Florida later in December.