After out-dueling Wichita State on Sunday, the No. 20 LSU women’s basketball team (1-0) faces its first true test of the season Wednesday when it hosts No. 14 Georgetown (1-1) in its home opener at the PMAC.
After a Sweet 16 run last season, the Hoyas opened the season with a 56-45 win against Longwood, and are looking to get back on the right track after suffering a 72-53 defeat Sunday at the hands of No. 10 Maryland.
“Georgetown is going to be a team that’s going to bring a lot of pressure,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. “They run a very aggressive defensive scheme. They don’t just sit back at half court … they’re going to be stingy on the defensive end.”
Georgetown has scored an average of 54.5 points in its first two contests, while LSU has averaged 83 points in its exhibition and season opener.
The Lady Tigers had 22 turnovers in their bout Sunday and allowed 14 offensive rebounds – two areas Caldwell is confident she can fix by Wednesday night.
“Our issue wasn’t necessarily scoring the basketball, because when we did take care of the basketball, we scored it at a high percentage,” Caldwell said. “Our issue is making sure that we take care of the basketball, and to me, that’s being mentally focused.”
With the high expectations Caldwell placed on her squad, the first-year coach knows the early implications this matchup has on the rest of the season.
“This is a game where we’re going to be able to see if we’ve grown, if we’ve learned from last game and the last practice,” Caldwell said. “This is a postseason team. It’s going to be a good test for us early