The media projected the LSU women’s basketball team will finish 12th in the Southeastern Conference this season, one year after having a depleted team because of injuries.
The remaining healthy Lady Tigers completed the season with an overall 10-21 record and 3-13 finish in SEC play last season.
This season is a different story: LSU is fairly healthy, and the Lady Tigers are playing to combat their low-ranking preseason selection.
Sophomore guard Chloe Jackson said the underestimation is motivation to play harder and keep up the early momentum.
“We expected it,” Jackson said. “We look to be able to prove people wrong this season. We knew we didn’t finish good, we didn’t do that great and it was probably our worst season in a while. We knew we were going to be the underdogs this year.”
Coach Nikki Fargas said the experience against opponents like UConn — a four-time reigning National Champion — on Nov. 20 allows the team a to be a little more “seasoned” for future play. The Huskies defeated LSU, 76-53.
“As a coach, you’re never satisfied, and you never feel like you’ve arrived,” Fargas said, “but also not losing focus of what they did accomplish the first month of the season … The experience and exposure they got is not only going to help us in our next six games but also into SEC play.”
The Lady Tigers won their first home victory in an exhibition match against LeMoyne-Owen, 81-34, on Nov. 6 in the PMAC.
LSU stuck with the Huskies much of the first quarter, but UConn took the lead and kept it for the rest of the game. UConn had 20 turnovers but was able to out-rebound LSU, 39-31, in its victorious effort against the Lady Tigers.
Freshman forward Ayana Mitchell said the few games under the team’s belt, regardless of wins or losses, have helped the team play in a more unified way.
“The biggest difference [from the start of the season] is we’re starting to come together as one,” Mitchell said. “We’re starting to understand each other’s game and each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’re just trying to put everybody in the best position for them to be successful for the entire team.”
The team competed in a three-day tournament in the Virgin Islands where the they finished 2-1 on Nov. 24-26 with wins against UTEP and NC State and one loss to Kansas State on Nov. 25.
Junior guard Raigyne Moncrief won the last game against NC State, 59-58, with a last-minute basket from the arc.
Fargas said the tournament challenged both the physical and mental states of the team.
“That’s a positive for us in a sense of we know we’re capable of competing back to-back-to-back games early November,” she said. “So when March comes during the SEC tournament, you know that you’ve been there done that and can pull from that.”
The Lady Tigers will play Texas Christian University at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the PMAC.