Three games into the 2014-15 season, one thing has become clear — the LSU women’s basketball team is riddled with offensive issues.
The Lady Tigers (2-1) have struggled to maintain possession of the ball, pass the ball and shoot the ball consistently this season, and those offensive struggles nearly cost them against Jackson State University (0-2) on Monday night.
LSU shot a season-worst 32.4 percent from the field, committed a season-high 27 turnovers but still managed to hold back a feisty Jackson State squad 52-44 in overtime Monday in the PMAC.
Despite the Lady Tigers winning their second consecutive game, coach Nikki Caldwell said the final score wasn’t indicative of the game she saw on the court.
“I know the score tells a different story, but in my eyes, Jackson State was the winner tonight,” Caldwell said.
Monday’s contest marked the second out of three games this season that the Lady Tigers shot less than 33 percent from the field and turned the ball over at least 20 times.
LSU’s struggles began with its primary ball handlers: sophomore guards Raigyne Moncrief and Rina Hill. The Lady Tigers’ starting backcourt combined for 10 turnovers against just two assists.
Moncrief, who also shot 3-for-13 from the field for 10 points, said it’s up to the backcourt to establish LSU’s level of play on offense.
“As guards, you have to learn to take care of the ball. That’s the first thing,” Moncrief said. “If we don’t set the tone well in the beginning, things aren’t going to go well.”
The only bright spot for LSU was the play of junior forward Ann Jones, who shot 6-of-12 from the field for a team-high 12 points.
Jones also wreaked havoc on the boards. The 6-foot-3 forward gobbled up a game-high 14 rebounds — including nine on the offensive glass — and she provided the Lady Tigers with 10 of their 19 second-chance points.
“I just wanted to step up and do the things the team needed me to do, which was rebound,” Jones said. “That’s what was my focus for [Monday], to clean the boards for the team.”
But Jones’ scoring was what LSU ultimately needed most. The other seven Lady Tigers who attempted at least one field goal combined to shoot a porous 16-of-56 from the field, and the team drained only one of its 10 3-point tries.
Despite the offensive blunders, LSU managed to hit shots when it needed to most. The Lady Tigers outscored Jackson State 8-0 in overtime, shot 2-for-4 from the field and went 4-for-5 from the throw line.
Moncrief gave LSU a 46-44 lead when she hit a jumper with 2:51 remaining in the extra period. LSU junior guard Anne Pederson then made points 10 and 11 at the free throw line, and Moncrief found junior guard Akilah Bethel for a layup and the foul.
Moncrief finally iced the game with a pair of free throws.
But to Caldwell, the game shouldn’t have ended in overtime. She said the Lady Tigers were getting the shots they wanted earlier in the game but simply failed to cash in.
“We had wide open looks,” Caldwell said. “We’re leaving too many points in the paint by missed layups. We didn’t shoot extremely well from the free throw line. The turnovers are eliminating some of those opportunities as well.”
LSU now finds itself sitting at an uninspiring 2-1, and next on the slate is an up-state visit from a veteran Tulane squad on Wednesday.
Despite the Lady Tigers’ early struggles, Caldwell said she hasn’t began questioning her team’s abilities. There’s still a lot of basketball to be played.  
“The cohesiveness of this group is going to come,” Caldwell said. “I do believe that this team will eventually start clicking. They’ll start clicking at the right time. But right now, we need them to do two things: take care of the basketball and eliminate people’s second and third opportunities.”