The LSU women’s basketball team bounced back from a rough start to its road trip when it won the Florida International Thanksgiving Classic tournament last weekend, beating West Virginia and host Florida International.
LSU junior forward Theresa Plaisance dominated in the championship match against the Golden Panthers (2-3) on Sunday, putting up 20 points and blocking seven shots to lead the Lady Tigers (3-2) to a 76-69 victory.
The win was the 800th all-time for LSU, making it the fourth program in Southeastern Conference history to reach the milestone.
The Lady Tigers made it to the championship game with a 71-63 victory against then-No. 12 West Virginia (3-2) on Friday night.
The match against the Mountaineers turned into a coming-out party for LSU freshman guard Danielle Ballard, who led the squad with 25 points and eight boards.
“Defensively, [Ballard] got some huge steals and had some hustle plays, but more importantly, she was all over the boards,” LSU coach Nikki Caldwell said in a news release. “She definitely graduated to another level tonight.”
Their success in the tournament came as a relief to the Lady Tigers, who struggled during the front half of their four-game road trip, dropping games to Hampton and then-No. 25 Georgetown.
After edging by Wichita State at home in its season opener, LSU was dominated in a 67-58 loss to Hampton (3-4) on Nov. 16. The loss put an end to the Lady Tigers’ previous streak of eight consecutive non-conference regular season wins.
LSU then failed to rebound three nights later in Washington, D.C., dropping a close match to Georgetown (4-2) 71-69.
Despite the shaky start, the consistency provided by veterans such as Plaisance and senior guard Adrienne Webb, and the boost Ballard supplies off the bench gives LSU reason to be optimistic about its development this season.
“This team continues to find themselves,” Caldwell said in a news release after LSU’s victory against Florida International. “… We have a lot of weapons when you look at our offense package.”
The Lady Tigers now have a week off before their next match on Sunday, Dec. 2, when they will take on NC State in the PMAC to begin a six-game home stand.
