The LSU women’s basketball team started off slowly Monday night in an exhibition game against Delta State, but the Lady Tigers came to life in the second half.
LSU started the game with a bleak shooting performance, hitting just 33 percent (10-of-30) from the field in the first half. But the team finished the game at 40.3 percent (25-of-62) in defeating the visiting Lady Statesmen, 67-47, in front of an announced crowd of 2,424 at the PMAC.
Junior forward LaSondra Barrett led LSU with 14 points, and sophomore guard Adrienne Webb added 11 points in her first career start. Webb also had one of LSU’s four 3-pointers, while senior guard Andrea Kelly shot a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
Barrett said LSU’s slow shooting start was slightly due to early jitters.
“It was a little bit of being out there for the first time, and we had a couple of new starters on the floor,” Barrett said. “It was trying to get into the flow of the game, kind of what you’d expect. I rushed a couple of shots and missed a couple that later on in the season will be easy buckets.”
LSU coach Van Chancellor said the team “couldn’t throw one in the Atlantic Ocean” in the first half.
“We just couldn’t make a shot, and when you can’t make a shot, that causes you to have a lot of jitters,” Chancellor said. “Delta State was a pesky little team. If they play like that, they’re going to win the national championship in Division II.”
All three LSU freshmen saw action on the court Monday.
Guard Jeanne Kenney started off 0-for-7 shooting in the first half and finished with six points, a steal and two turnovers in 16 minutes.
Chancellor said he never stopped encouraging Kenney to shoot the ball in her early struggles.
“She’s been shooting the ball in practice really well,” Chancellor said. “We’re going to let them shoot this year.”
Forward Shanece McKinney entered the game in the second half and made an impact down the stretch, recording five blocks in 10 minutes, including three in the final minute of play.
Freshman forward Theresa Plaisance scored four points, two rebounds and one block in 10 minutes.
Barrett said the performance of the freshmen showed their passion.
“What I’ve always said from the beginning of the year is we brought them in because that is what we’re lacking — size and outside shooting,” Barrett said. “This is just the first of everyone seeing what they can do.”
Chancellor said he plans to stick with the starting five of Barrett, Webb, senior guards Katherine Graham and Latear Eason and junior forward Taylor Turnbow for the season opener Sunday against Northwestern, although Chancellor said consistency is an issue.
“After that game, that lineup is subject to change at halftime,” he said. “They tell you in football you have to have visual evidence to overturn a call. I don’t have any visual evidence I can see in practice that would decide who ought to be playing.”
Delta State led by as many as six points on two occasions in the first half. Senior guard Sheena Johnson led Delta State with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Junior center Veronica Walker added 10 rebounds.
Two long jumpers by Barrett in 40 seconds capped a 10-0 run by the Lady Tigers with 2:06 left in the first half, and they never looked back.
 
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]