BATON ROUGE — With only seven players in action, the LSU women’s basketball team outscored the Jackson All-Stars, 68-11, in the second half to win in its first exhibition game of the 2001-02 season, 108-33, on Wednesday evening in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Lady Tigers hit on all cylinders over the final 30 minutes of the game, as they expanded a 17-15 lead to 22 by halftime and 75 to end the game. LSU shot 61.6 percent from the field (45-of-73) including 6-of-11 from three-point range (54.5 percent). Six of the seven players scored in double figures, while three registered double-doubles.
Last season’s Junior College National Player of the Year, Aiysha Smith, paced the Lady Tigers with an impressive performance in the middle, while junior point guard Kisha James led LSU in transition throughout the game. Smith finished the game with 17 pointes, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists.
James led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 20 and 11 assists, while Tillie Willis pulled down 12 rebounds to lead LSU. Sophomore Doneeka Hodges added 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Scholanda Dorrell scored 16 points and had 12 rebounds and freshman long-range shooter Patty Hanten hit four three pointers to finish with 15 points. Freshman Wendlyn Jones added 14 points and had 11 rebounds in 31 minutes of play.
With only seven players in action for the Lady Tigers, head coach Sue Gunter had few options off the bench in the season’s first contest. However, the Lady Tigers came out firing early to take a 17-9 lead halfway though the first half on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3) from the field including 3-of-5 from three-point range.
Jackson went on a 6-0 run over the next two minutes before James scored her first two points of the game off a fast-break pull-up jumper in the lane. Smith added a bucket in the lane to put the Lady Tigers up 21-15 with 7:39 left in the half.
After a media timeout, Smith scored in the post again with a left-handed layup and Hodges added back-to-back layup to put LSU up by 12, 27-15.
Another timeout by Jackson led to three more Lady Tiger layup, as James and Smith continued to drive the ball to the baskets for easy scores. LSU led 33-15 with four minutes remaining in the first half.
LSU went on a 15-2 run to start the second half, capped by a pair of three-pointers by Hanten from the left wing. The Lady Tigers led 55-24 with 14:58 remaining in the game.
The Lady Tigers continued to turn Jaskson turnovers into easy points, as LSU went on a 20-2 when Hanten hit her fourth trey of the night and Jones made a free throw. LSU led 81-28.
LSU returns to action on Monday, Nov. 12, when it finishes exhibition play against the Basketball Travelers as part of a double-header with the men’s team beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the PMAC.