Following a season-opening loss at Northwestern, LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor was more disturbed by his team’s lack of execution than the final score.
The Lady Tigers’ coach stuck to that process-based philosophy following a loss to No. 7 Ohio State on Wednesday, saying despite the defeat, he was largely satisfied with his team’s play.
“I thought this was much better than last Sunday,” he said. “I could live with this. I don’t like to lose, but I could live with tremendous effort and young players playing well.”
If his team continues to play like the group that held the Buckeyes to a sub-.400 shooting percentage, the upcoming stretch of nonconference opponents will likely help LSU (0-2) fortify its vacant win column.
The Lady Tigers will play six of their next seven games on the road, beginning this weekend with the Seton Hall Classic. LSU opens play Friday against a woeful Massachusetts (0-2) team that had just one winning record in the past 11 seasons.
The Minutewomen are led by senior guard Cerie Mosgrove, who is averaging more than 13 points per game. Mosgrove is eighth all-time at UMass in three-pointers made.
LSU wraps up the trip by facing hosts Seton Hall (1-1) on Saturday. The Pirates are painting a perfect picture of inconsistency, beating perennial NCAA tournament participant Temple after dropping their first game to Florida Gulf Coast.
The drop in competition couldn’t come at a better time, considering LSU hasn’t opened the season with two consecutive losses since its inaugural season in 1975-76 and has never started with an 0-3 record.
Defensively, LSU has showed no signs of a winless team. The Lady Tigers have blocked 12 shots in two games, led by junior forward Taylor Turnbow, whose six blocks rank third in the Southeastern Conference. Their frenzied defense has also produced a 15-4 advantage in steals.
The resulting turnovers have allowed LSU to take nearly 30 more shots than its opponents. The team’s downfall, however, has been a complete inability to make those shots.
Their offensive struggles have been personified through poor post play, most notably from junior forward LaSondra Barrett, who has made just 4-of-18 shots on the season. Junior forward Courtney Jones has also been a disappointment, shooting 2-of-12. As a team, the Lady Tigers are shooting a paltry 34.3 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from the free throw line.
“I don’t want to name any names, but I think that we need to get some low block presence from somebody,” Chancellor said. “That is why we are not consistent. Everyone is out there playing on the perimeter.”
They have also struggled to start games. LSU is averaging just 22 points in the first half this season, compared to 36.5 points in the second half.
“We can’t just come out and play toward the end,” said sophomore guard Adrienne Webb. “We have to play the whole game, come out ready to play and not have so many mental breakdowns.”
Additionally, junior point guard Latear Eason said they are struggling to execute in pressure-packed moments.
“I just believe we have to learn how to win at the end,” Eason said. “We need to learn how to execute. When it’s a tight game, we just need to learn how to close it out.”
 
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Contact Ryan Ginn at [email protected]