LSU acting head coach Pokey Chatman pointed out several bright spots following the Lady Tigers’ 83-66 NCAA first-round win over Austin Peay, including solid post play, scoring from role players and low turnover margin.
LSU (24-7), a team that has struggled with inside scoring, had 44 points in the paint while the Lady Governors had only 10. Chatman said that stat jumped out at her the most.
“[Points in the paint are] huge, especially in terms of how you go about getting them,” she said. “There was a stretch there when Hardin was fatigued and that came from Tillie, Wendlyn and Hanna being so active in the halfcourt. A lot of people think you shut someone down on offense, but a lot of times you can neutralize a good player by making them work hard on defense.”
The Lady Tigers trio of forwards Hanna Biernacka, Tillie Willis and Wendlyn Jones combined for 29 points and 19 rebounds.
Chatman said those three players stepped up in what has been a “post-play by committee,” and helped contribute to those points in the paint.
“That’s the beauty of this team — each one of those kids brings something to the floor, and that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to be successful.”
The tandem also limited Austin Peay’s Gerlonda Hardin to only 12 points and five rebounds.
“I was pleased with the way the kids cut the head off the snake,” Chatman said. “They did a really good job of neutralizing Hardin, but that team was a lot more than No. 52.”
Hardin, a 6-foot-1 senior from Springfield, Tenn., came into the game averaging 18.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, while shooting 61 percent from the field.
Chatman said LSU’s success inside against Hardin was due in part to preparation and the time off the team had.
“Some teams don’t like a week off and they’re ready to play the next day, but the time-off and the preparation [helped],” Chatman said. “Our scrimmage guys did a lot of things to mimic what Hardin could do.”
LSU shot 51.5 percent from the floor and had only nine turnovers, while Austin Peay committed 21 turnovers, which led to 24 LSU points.
Point guard Temeka Johnson took advantage of the turnovers to allow the team to run the floor and give LSU eight fast break points. Johnson finished with 17 points and 12 assists, but said she was a little off, so she tried to help in other ways.
Chatman said the Lady Tigers also fared well against APSU’s 2-3 zone, particularly in the first half when LSU shot just under 55 percent from the field.
“We still managed to put up 40 points, and that’s important because we’ll see some zone as we continue our play,” she said.
Jones, who had a team-high nine rebounds, said the post players did a solid job on both ends of the court to help fuel the transition game.
“It’s very important to be dominant in the post, both defensively and offensively, and we’re definitely going to step it up [for the next game],” Jones said.