The LSU women’s basketball team’s home opener was a battle.
The University of Louisiana Monroe refused to back down, taking the game to overtime, but the Lady Tigers came out on top, 61-54, on Sunday in the PMAC.
ULM coach Jeff Dow faulted his team for the loss.
“I certainly don’t mean any disrespect to LSU,” Dow said, “but we handed them that game.”
LSU junior guard Raigyne Moncrief had a differing opinion.
“Losing was an option,” she said.
After a ULM turnover, LSU coach Nikki Fargas trusted Moncrief with a mid-range shot to tie the game as time expired. Moncrief nailed the shot, sending the game to overtime.
“No question,” Fargas said. “Raigyne Moncrief has showed time and time again that she is that player that can win basketball games for you.”
Moncrief finished with eight points and six rebounds. She, along with the rest of the LSU squad, struggled from the field, shooting 20-for-54 in the game.
LSU attempted only seven three pointers throughout the game, compared to ULM’s 19, eight of which the Warhawks converted.
“A lot credit to UL-Monroe for making shots,” Fargas said. “They did a nice job of making those jumpers and three balls on the road. It kept momentum for them.”
LSU, which out-sized ULM at every position, struggled shooting against the compact Warhawks defense, tried to force passes inside the paint to use its size advantage, but ULM would collapse, making the short jump-shots tough to make.
The Warhawks’ scrappy attitude kept them in the game, which was a “moral victory,” said ULM senior guard Aundrea Davis.
“I was very impressed with how scrappy we were,” Dow added. “We had a chance to pull this off. It was right there for the taking.”
“Coming in we are the underdogs,” Davis said. “To almost beat them is good for us.”
Junior guard Rina Hill, junior forward Alexis Hyder and senior forward Ann Jones were the only three Lady Tigers to finish in double figures on Sunday. Hill posted 12 points, Hyder scored 15 and Jones finished with 11.
Hyder’s 15 points led the Lady Tigers, along with her 15 rebounds, seven of which came on offense. She finished the game as the only player with a double-double.
“It was pounded in my head, ‘you’ve got to go get it, you’ve got to go get it,” Hyder said about being LSU’s leading rebounder. “I had no choice. I wanted to win.”
Hill was one of two Lady Tigers to attempt a three in the game. She shadowed sophomore guard Jenna Deemer, who shot 1-6 from three.
Along with the Lady Tigers’ difficulties making shots, they were careless with the ball, finishing with 25 turnovers.
“We’re turning the ball over quite a bit,” Fargas said. “We’re pressing too much. We are trying to hit the home run right out the gate instead of trying to get to first base.”
“We’ve got to work on trying to have that ball security instead of trying to force things.”
The Lady Tigers will look to fix their mistakes throughout this week in practice before their next game on Nov. 18 against the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.