For the past two-and-a-half seasons, LSU junior guard Allison Hightower has made life difficult for opposing defenses with an array of offensive moves and an accurate jump shot.But in the first half of Wednesday night’s 67-48 win against the University of New Orleans, Hightower showed she can also change a game as a passer.Hightower dished out four first-half assists to help the Lady Tigers earn victory in a game LSU coach Van Chancellor labeled earlier this week as the biggest game of the season. But the win may have come at a price. Sophomore guard Katherine Graham left the game in the second half with an apparent knee injury. Chancellor said Graham will be re-evaluated today, but he fears the worst for the Lady Tigers’ leader in rebounding, assists and steals.Chancellor said losing Graham would be a big blow on the court and would also affect the team’s chemistry because the Birmingham native is one of the hardest working players on LSU’s team.”I just hope someway, somehow Katherine Graham can come back and play for us,” he said. “I’m thinking about her for herself, because she has really put a lot into this season.”With Graham in the lineup, the Privateers jumped to an early 7-4 lead to begin the game.But with the UNO defense shading toward Hightower, freshman forwards LaSondra Barrett and Courtney Jones got the LSU offense on track and combined to score all of the Lady Tigers first 20 points to help LSU take a 20-8 lead midway through the first half.Hightower switched from distributor to scorer in the second half and scored LSU’s first five points of the half to help the Lady Tigers extend its lead to as many as 24 points.Hightower finished the game with 15 points, four assists, two steals and two blocks.UNO went on a 13-0 run over a five-minute span to cut LSU’s lead to 11 with seven minutes to play.But the Lady Tigers prevented a comeback thanks in part of LSU’s dominance in the paint.LSU out-rebounded the Privateers, 44-26, for the game to help keep UNO from getting second-chance points.—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]