BATON ROUGE — LSU raced to a 29-point halftime lead Saturday, and the 13th-ranked Lady Tigers coasted past North Texas, 82-57, in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (9-3) won its seventh straight game and its 53rd consecutive non-conference home contest. The Lady Tigers open Southeastern Conference play Thursday at second-ranked Tennessee.
North Texas (9-3) lost for the third time in four games. The Lady Eagles face Sun Belt Conference opponent New Orleans on Thursday.
“We were very intense at the start of the game, it was important for us to get off to a good start,” said LSU head coach Sue Gunter. “When we play good defense, it seems to ignite our offense. We got some easy baskets, and as a result, we had a good shooting half. We never let North Texas get into a rhythm.”
LSU outscored North Texas, 56-27, in the first half, as the Lady Tigers shot 68.8 percent (22-for-32) from the field. LSU limited the Lady Eagles to 32.1 percent shooting (9-for-28) in the opening half.
The 56 first-half points represented LSU’s highest scoring total in a half since 1992, when LSU scored 57 points against Southeastern Louisiana.
For the second straight game, five LSU players scored in double figures. Senior guard Marie Ferdinand recorded 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Senior forward April Brown contributed 14 points and six assists, and junior center DeTrina
White added 14 points and two rebounds. Freshman forward Roneeka Hodges contributed 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while sophomore forward Ke-Ke Tardy added 10 points.
North Texas reserves Shannan Stephenson and Angel Lewis were the only Lady Eagles in double figures, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively.
LSU dominated North Texas on the boards, outrebounding the Lady Eagles, 45-24; however, the Lady Tigers committed 21 turnovers while forcing 18.
“We were intense when we needed to be,” Gunter said. “The only frustrating thing was the 21 turnovers. It makes me a little nervous when our next opponent is Tennessee. Our seniors know what’s at stake from now on, and we’re going to play with our SEC faces on.”