The No. 5 LSU Lady Tigers defeated the Houston Jaguars, 82-51, Monday night in the PMAC in their final exhibition game of the season.
The Lady Tigers (2-0 in exhibition play) used their stifling defense to get an early advantage against the Jaguars.
LSU had 10 steals and four blocks in the first half of play while causing Houston to commit 12 turnovers.
The Lady Tigers led by as many as 19 points in the first half and had a 15-point advantage prior to half-time.
The second half featured much of the same for the Lady Tigers, as LSU expanded its lead to as many as 32 points.
The Lady Tigers recorded 18 steals, eight blocks and forced Houston to commit 20 turnovers during the game.
LSU also committed several turnovers of its own – finishing the game with 13.
Senior center Sylvia Fowles expressed her disappointment with the team’s sloppy performance.
“Personally, I just think we were not ready to play,” she said. “It’s not that we didn’t play hard. It’s that we made a lot of minor mistakes that do not happen in this program.”
Early in the first half, senior guard Erica White went down with an ankle injury, and junior forward Kristen Morris followed suit late in the second half.
LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor said he expects both players to return to the lineup soon.
“Erica [White] will definitely play [Friday],” he said. “I think Kristen might play [Friday].”
Fowles logged a double-double, finishing the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds. She also added four blocks and five steals in her 23 minutes of play.
Senior guard Quianna Chaney was second among scorers with 15 points and led the team with eight assists in her 22 minutes of play.
Senior guard Marian Whitfield, who had an increased amount of playing time because of White’s injury, tried to make the most of her opportunity.
Whitfield scored 14 points while shooting seven of eight from the field. She also had one steal in 18 minutes on the floor.
“[I was] just taking advantage of my opportunities,” Whitfield said. “Coach [Chancellor] called me to play, and I played hard.”
Chancellor was complimentary of Whitfield’s efforts saying she played smarter than she had been at practice. He also said the team could have benefitted from White being on the court.
“We really missed Erica tonight,” he said. “We went with point guards tonight that have not played there much, and that showed me we’re gonna have to take [senior guard RaShonta LeBlanc] and work her in more. I really think we need to get [senior guard Khalilah] Mitchell in more.”
The Lady Tigers shot 47.1 percent from the floor during the game. The Jaguars shot 28.4 percent. But LSU only shot 60.9 percent from the free throw line, while Houston shot 83.3 percent.
The Lady Tigers open the regular season Friday at 7 p.m. against Samford in the PMAC, and Chancellor said he expects the team to be better.
“If the creek doesn’t rise and the Lord doesn’t take me, we’ll be exactly where we want to be,” he said.
——Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]