The LSU women’s basketball team hung close with the defending National Champions for a period of time Sunday.
The Lady Tigers (3-1) lost for the first time this season to No. 3 UConn, 76-53, after sticking near the Huskies throughout the first quarter and UConn’s win streak increased to 78-straight games, spanning three seasons, in the PMAC.
As UConn coach Geno Auriemma bluntly said, LSU’s talent clearly isn’t what it used to be.
“The talent level is just completely different,” Auriemma said. “It’s not even night and day. From where it was to where it is today, it’s not even the same program. You can’t even put it in the same category from back then.”
In the first quarter, LSU connected on 35.3 percent of its field goals and UConn shot 31.3 percent but UConn out-rebounded LSU, 15-7, and the Lady Tigers trailed the Huskies by four, 18-14, after the opening quarter.
The second quarter initiated the Lady Tigers’ trouble with personal fouls as they ended the quarter with 11 in the first half to UConn’s six. UConn capitalized and made 14 of 17 free throws en route to capturing a distant lead LSU would never catch.
The Huskies continued to out-rebound LSU, 21-15, at the end of the first half. The Tigers trailed by 21 points at the break, 46-25.
UConn sharpshooting forward Katie Lou Samuelson busted LSU’s defense for 28 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the field. Samuelson knocked in seven 3-pointers and had eight rebounds in 35 minutes.
“I shot pretty well earlier today, but it depends on the game,” Samuelson said. “If I am shooting confidently, I’ll make more of them, so I have to keep holding myself to that level [so] that I don’t get down on myself if I start missing shots.”
LSU’s leading scorer, Raigyne Moncrief, posted 15 of LSU’s 53 points. Moncrief added 11 of her 15 points in the second half and three rebounds in the game Sunday.
“I’m happy to be out there, but we should have played more as a team … and get a lot more assists,” Moncrief said. “I only had three assists. I should have [given] my team the ball more but my mindset was to be aggressive.”
Senior Rina Hill made her first appearance on the court since a hip injury sidelined her for the Lady Tigers’ first three games. She finished with no points on three shot attempts, one assist and one rebound.
LSU freshman forward Ayana Mitchell added four buckets on six attempts, but her hustle against the 11-time national champions stood out to LSU coach Nikki Fargas.
“Ayana Mitchell played tough,” the coach said. “She got a couple of personal fouls called on her, and they were momentum plays, but I’d rather dial her down than have to dial her up.”
UConn had 20 turnovers compared to LSU’s 13, but eventually, UConn was victorious by 23 points.
