The LSU women’s basketball team demolished Ole Miss, 70-41, Thursday night in the PMAC en route to its seventh home win of the season.
LSU (11-9, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) smothered the Ole Miss’ (14-7, 4-4 SEC) offense on its way to a 29-point blowout.
It was the Rebels’ third loss in a row as well as their lowest scoring game of the season and the lowest in Ole Miss coach Matt Insell’s tenure.
LSU coach Nikki Caldwell said her team was determined to play a physical basketball game.
“We really focused in on becoming a more mentally tough team and we highlighted a few points of emphasis as far as what a player who has mental toughness does and what does that look like,” Caldwell said. “They have confidence, they believe in themselves and they own their power.”
It was LSU’s sixth win in a row vs Ole Miss, which LSU has not lost to since 2010.
LSU’s zone defense had a noticeable impact on the Rebels. Ole Miss shot 6-of-36 at the half and finished the game 23 percent from the field, going 2-for-16 from three-point range
LSU’s offense capitalized on easy opportunities early, at one point going on a 19-3 run in the first half. The Lady Tigers’ efficiency in transition led to 34 points off 30 Ole Miss turnovers.
Junior guard Danielle Ballard, who finished the game with seven steals, said the team’s defensive intensity was a focus the Lady Tigers emphasized going into the matchup.
“We’re coming to realize how important our defense is,” Ballard said. “We are being more aggressive and talking on defense and communicating with each other. The girls know that defense is very important. Being in the SEC there are great teams out there and you just want to lock down on them defensively.”
Freshman guard Jenna Deemer came off the bench and led all scorers, surpassing her career high with 22 points on 70 percent shooting. Deemer accounted for more than half of LSU’s bench points, which outscored Ole Miss’s 40-9.
She said that her pre-game warmup proved to be a major influence toward her confidence in her career night.
“I prepared. I got more shots up before the game,” Deemer said. “[Caldwell] talked to me about feeling comfortable and not getting complacent with what I’ve been doing. That sparked me to feel comfortable in taking my shot.”
The Lady Tigers’ defense stifled Ole Miss’ star senior forward Tia Faleru, who leads the SEC in rebounds and is second in scoring and field goal percentage. Faleru finished the game with five points on 2-for-9 shooting and picked up seven rebounds in the loss.
Caldwell said preparing for Faleru involved learning from LSU’s matchup struggles against Tennessee earlier this season.
“We did not want to make the same mistake that we made with Isabelle Harrison from Tennessee,” Caldwell said. “We wanted to really put a lot of emphasis on our guard play, disrupting the view of the basketball to her.”
Senior guard DaShawn Harden returned from a one-game absence due to an eye injury and came off the bench to contribute eight points and a steal.
Even with a 70-point game, Caldwell continued to harp on her team’s ability to play defense.
“They’re having fun doing it,” Caldwell said. “We have a very good rotation going and everybody is understanding their role and responsibility, and we’re buying in. I’m pleased with the effort.”

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Charles Champagne

LSU junior guard Danielle Ballard scores Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 during the Lady Tigers' 79-41 victory agaisnt Ole Miss in the PMAC.