From the tip, the LSU women’s basketball team struggled to overcome the absence of sophomore guard Jenna Deemer in a 42-58 loss to Vanderbilt on Thursday night, dropping its second Southeastern Conference game in a row.
Along with Deemer, the Lady Tigers (7-10, 1-3 SEC) missed the normally dynamic sideline coaching style of Nikki Fargas, who was restricted to coaching from a chair, due to a hip inflammation.
The Commodores (13-4, 2-2 SEC) started the game off by hitting their first five field goals to rush out to an early 13-5 lead, but LSU cut it down to four points by the end of the first quarter.
Vanderbilt led by as many as 11 before the Lady Tigers rallied within seven points in the half.
“We started to settle down and take what the defense was giving us, making the extra passes allowing us to get wide open shots and knocking them down,” assistant coach Tasha Butts said.
The Commodores came out in the second half as hot as they started in the first, hitting their first four shots to push the lead to 15 points. LSU was never able to bring the game back within single digits.
Vanderbilt, who came into the game leading the SEC in field goal percentage, shot 50 percent from the floor, including draining 38.9 percent of its three-point shots. Despite out-rebounding the Commodores, 38-25, the Lady Tigers hit only 33.3 percent of their field goals.
Although senior forward Akiliah Bethel led LSU’s efforts with 11 points, junior forward Alexis Hyder contributed 10 points and 8 rebounds despite spending much of the second half in foul trouble.
Deemer, who leads the Lady Tigers in scoring with 10.1 points per game, stayed in Baton Rouge with an illness.
“We definitely could have used [Deemer],” Butts said. “ Anytime you are playing a team that is going to switch their defense on you and play zone, you want that zone buster, so to speak.”
Injuries have been a recurring problem for the Lady Tigers this season. LSU has struggled since losing junior guard Raigyne Moncrief and freshman forward Ayana Mitchell earlier in the season.