After practice Thursday afternoon, LSU coach Nikki Caldwell told her players that if a team outworks you, it will beat you.
As the Lady Tigers (1-0) head to Hampton University (2-0) for their first road trip of the season, Caldwell wants her players to understand the level of intensity at which they need to play to be successful after the way Wichita State “exploited [her] team’s lack of intensity for 40 minutes” on Nov. 11.
LSU beat Wichita State 72-70 in a come-from-behind effort, where it allowed Wichita State 18 offensive rebounds and the opportunity to shoot 21 free throws.
Throughout the week following the season opener, the Lady Tigers’ primary focus has been rebounding. On defense, the team practiced with a bubble cap blocking the rim so every shot missed, forcing the players to work on defensive rebounding. Caldwell said she wants to see her team successfully execute at half-court as well as in transition on this road trip.
“I want us to be the hardest-working team this weekend,” Caldwell said. “…On the road it will be us versus a lot of other fans and their team, and we need to make sure that we’re tight.”
After one game, senior guards Bianca Lutley and Adrienne Webb and junior guard Jeanne Kenney led the team with double-digit scoring. Junior forward Theresa Plaisance paced LSU with 15 rebounds against Wichita State.
Hampton comes into the game against LSU with a 78-41 win against Southern Mississippi and a narrow 56-48 win against Mississippi State under its belt. The Lady Pirates are led by senior forward Keiara Avant, who has tallied 45 points, grabbed 29 rebounds and made 15 of 16 free throws after two games.
In the game at Mississippi State, Hampton out-rebounded the Lady Bulldogs 44 to 29 and shot 34 percent from the floor.
Foul trouble was an issue for the Lady Tigers in their season opener, with the post-players tallying 12 of LSU’s 21 fouls – four of which were offensive fouls. Caldwell told her inside players that good positioning will help with foul trouble. She said the players will need to give up the cheap fouls, be smart and adjust when needed.
The game at Hampton will start a four-game road trip for the Lady Tigers that will end in Miami after Thanksgiving. Caldwell said with seven returning players, the team has the necessary experience to be successful on the road. She said she was taught “if you’re going to get them, you have to get them early.”
Caldwell said if the Lady Tigers are successful in their away games, they will be even better off when they return to the PMAC in December.
“I wanted to test us early,” Caldwell said. “I wanted to see where we stack up against some very good opponents. You go on that swing there and come out 4-0, the momentum and confidence you should have coming back home should be a positive for us.”
