The LSU women’s basketball team finally tasted victory this past weekend after starting 0-2 for the first time since its inaugural season in 1975.
The Lady Tigers (2-2) got not one but two wins in the Anaconda Sports “The Rock” Seton Hall Classic, as they knocked off Massachusetts, 63-51, on Friday and Seton Hall, 58-40, on Saturday.
LSU junior forward LaSondra Barrett found a shooting rhythm in the tournament after being shut down by Ohio State on Wednesday with just four points. Barrett had a team-high 17 points, including 9 of 10 from the free throw line, against Massachusetts and recorded her eighth career double-double the next day against Seton Hall, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
LSU coach Van Chancellor said Barrett showed improvement from her earlier performances this season but said it is still not enough to bring the team long-term success in 2010.
“I was glad to see Barrett play well for us … she took it to the goal and shot a lot of free throws,” Chancellor said in a news release. “We are still fouling too much, but we got to the line more than they did. We didn’t shoot the ball well, but I hope they start falling.”
LSU’s shooting percentage stayed about the same in the two games, at 34.5 percent against Massachusetts and 36.5 percent against Seton Hall, but free throws were an issue Saturday, as LSU shot barely more than 50 percent from the charity stripe at 16 of 30.
That poor total could easily have cost the Lady Tigers the game if Seton Hall had not performed just as badly, at 9 of 20 (45 percent).
But defense saved the day for LSU against Seton Hall, surrendering a season-low 40 points and limiting the Pirates to 26.3 percent shooting.
“This was the LSU defense of old tonight,” Chancellor said. “This was a great defensive effort on the road in a tough environment. We made them force a lot of shots. We still have to find somebody that gives us a basket when we need it, and we have got to make free throws. Getting to the line 30 times is great, but we have to convert them.”
The Massachusetts matchup was a bit tougher, as the Lady Tigers missed 14 of their first 15 shots from the field until junior forward Courtney Jones converted a layup with 15:04 left in the first half. Before that, LSU had mustered only a free throw by junior forward Taylor Turnbow, who had eight rebounds and three blocks.
LSU led 30-26 at halftime and built a 6-point lead on a jumper by sophomore guard Adrienne Webb early in the second half, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Massachusetts guards Megan Zullo and Kelly Robinson tied the game.
LSU then woke up offensively and went on a 9-0 run on its way to the win. Webb scored 15 points in the game and eight against Seton Hall , snapping her streak of three straight games in double figures.
Chancellor played the same 12 of LSU’s 14 players in both games this weekend, saying the team still hasn’t hit on all cylinders.
“We tried to play a lot of players tonight, but we haven’t found the right rotation,” he said after the Massachusetts game.