The LSU women’s basketball team began its season opener against Northwestern with a sluggish shooting output in the first half, and LSU couldn’t stop fouling the Wildcats on Sunday in Evanston, Ill.
 
LSU (0-1) shot 9 of 36 from the field in the first half, and although LSU fought back with a productive day from the 3-point line, Northwestern (2-0) drilled 21 of 27 free throws en route to a 71-62 victory against LSU.
 
Northwestern senior center Amy Jaeschke, a preseason All-Big Ten selection and Naismith Trophy candidate, lived up to her high-scoring and shot-blocking reputation by leading all players with 28 points and four blocks, and junior forward Brittany Orban garnered a double-double with 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
 
Jaeschke also nailed 11 of her 15 free attempts, as LSU committed 24 personal fouls to Northwestern’s 12 fouls. Jaeschke made more than double LSU’s free throw total, as the Lady Tigers converted 5-of-10 shots from the charity stripe.
 
LSU coach Van Chancellor said the Lady Tigers gave Northwestern too many chances to score points. The Wildcats led 29-22 at the half and pulled away with a 12-point lead late in the game.
 
“We couldn’t quit fouling,” Chancellor said in his postgame radio interview. “We had two hands on a player reaching in and on the back. You can’t let another team shoot 27 free throws and expect to win.”
 
LSU did not have nearly the shooting production as the Wildcats, as starting junior forward LaSondra Barrett and senior guard Katherine Graham shot a             combined 6-of-24 from the field.
 
Barrett made just one of her first nine shots.
 
“Northwestern just executed their stuff, and we did not,” Chancellor said. “We got out-rebounded 43-38. That was because we missed so many shots.”
 
Bright spots for LSU in the second half were the performances of senior guard Latear Eason and sophomore guard Adrienne Webb, both of whom were in the starting lineup Sunday.
 
The Northwestern game was a homecoming of sorts for Eason, who hails from Chicago. Eason scored 12 points and finished a perfect 3 of 3 from behind the arc in the second half.
 
Eason converted a 4-point play that cut the Northwestern lead to 36-35 with 14:58 left in the game.
 
“Latear Eason played really well … with no turnovers,” Chancellor said. “She came home, and I’m really proud for her. She had been really struggling lately.”
 
LSU next faces No. 7 Ohio State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the PMAC.
 
“We were tied up late in this game with six or seven minutes to go, but we had the wrong player guarding the wrong man,” Chancellor said. “We have a lot of things to clear up. We have to find some consistency knocking down shots.”
 
 
 
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]