In a coaching matchup that pitted LSU’s Nikki Caldwell against former teammate Jody Adams, the Lady Tigers picked up a 72-70 victory against Wichita State in their season opener on Sunday. The game went back and forth, but despite only shooting 40 percent from the field to the Shockers’ (0-1) 48.1 percent, LSU (1-0) was able to get to the free-throw line 30 times and force 25 turnovers to sneak its way past Wichita State.
LSU relied heavily on the experience of its upperclassmen, as junior guard Jeanne Kenney and senior guards Bianca Lutley and Adrienne Webb combined for 49 points.
The Lady Tigers jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first eight points and controlling much of the first half.
But the Shockers gave LSU a scare, cutting its lead to one before halftime, and using an early second-half rally to take the upper hand.
“I felt like coach Adams really had her team ready to come in here and win,” Caldwell said. “I thought they played extremely hard and came up with those hustle plays that can change the pace of a game.”
Wichita State’s success can be heavily contributed to its bench players, who accounted for 35 points.
The two squads traded punches for a good portion of the second half before Webb hit a three-point shot to put the Tigers up 65-61 with 2:28 left to play and give them the final edge.
“I was wide open for that shot, and I knew I could hit it, so I decided to take it,” Webb said.
Webb finished the game with 17 points.
LSU junior forward Theresa Plaisance tallied a career-high 15 rebounds, a number not reached by a Lady Tiger since Kristen Morris picked up 16 against Green Bay in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Caldwell was pleased with the performance, but she joked that Plaisance gave herself some help, saying “They all were [off] her shots.”
Lutley came out strong, scoring six of LSU’s first eight points. She went on to show her versatility on offense tallying a game-leading 19 points.
All three of LSU’s freshmen saw their first action with varying results.
LSU freshman guard Danielle Ballard saw the most playing time with 25 minutes, and though she was the cause of six turnovers, she showed an upside by putting up nine points and accounting for three steals.
“Danielle Ballard brought a very steady pace for us,” Caldwell said. “…You could see that she had a little toughness in her as the game went on, and I felt very comfortable playing her with our veteran squad.”
Lady Tiger freshman forward Derreyal “Tank” Youngblood struggled in her premiere performance, picking up four fouls in four minutes of playing time.
Caldwell said despite Youngblood’s struggles, she showed a positive side, primarily on defense.
LSU freshman guard Anne Pederson went 1-3, earning two points in 12 minutes in the first half.
