SHREVEPORT, La. — Junior guard Andrea Kelly scored a career-high 15 points, including 12 points in the first half, as the LSU women’s basketball team defeated Centenary, 74-31, for its fourth consecutive win on Saturday at the Gold Dome.
LSU (5-3) won its 26th consecutive game against an in-state opponent and that streak was never in doubt on Saturday. The Lady Tigers buried a season-high eight 3-pointers and shot 54.4 percent for the game en route to its biggest win since Jan. 20, 2008, at Mississippi State.
Freshman forward LaSondra Barrett scored all 11 of her points in the first half, and freshman center Ayana Dunning came off the bench with a career-best 10 points.
Centenary (2-9) fell to 0-3 all-time versus LSU in the first meeting between the two teams in Shreveport. The Ladies were held to 25 percent from the floor on 6-of-24 shooting as LSU held its fourth straight opponent to 41 points or less. Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers shot 54.4 percent from the floor for the game as the Lady Tigers opened up a 43-18 halftime lead.
“Our defense has been solid gold for us, especially in these last four games,” LSU head coach Van Chancellor said. “We had a few more turnovers today than we normally do, but we forced a lot of turnovers as well. That was the best we shot the ball all year. We did some things today that we have not done in the previous seven games and that is a real positive for us heading into the break.”
Kelly scored LSU’s last 12 points of the first half and buried three straight 3-pointers with her first coming at the 2:42 mark. The junior then fired in another 3-pointer from the left wing before connecting for her third 3-point shot and drawing a foul on the same play with 1:15 to go.
The Lady Tigers made their first five shots of the game, and Barrett poured in three field goals in the first three minutes. LSU’s full-court pressure forced Centenary into 13 first-half turnovers, and the Lady Tigers converted those into 18 points as part of an 11-0 run.
LSU came out of the locker room with a 9-0 run that culminated with a 3-pointer by Crystal Riley with 17:11 in the game. Chancellor emptied his bench in the second half as Dunning enjoyed her most impressive game as a Lady Tiger with 10 points in the final period.
She finished 4-of-5 from the field and connected for her first career 3-pointer that put the finishing touches on the win. Junior guard Allison Hightower added 10 points and was 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Riley led LSU in rebounding with six boards.
LSU breaks for the Christmas holidays before resuming practice Friday in preparation for a Dec. 28 matchup with Florida State at 2 p.m. CST in the Maravich Center.