BATON ROUGE, La. – The Jackson State women’s basketball team fought hard and tried to execute the game plan, but LSU was to much for the Lady Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Saturday night. LSU continued its march to the Final Four, by defeating JSU 66-32.
LSU effectively took JSU’s main scoring threats out of the game. LaSharee Christian, JSU’s leading scorer during the season, finished with three points on 1-12 shooting. Carena Easley, JSU’s second leading scorer, had six points on 2-9 shooting. Easley did play pretty well on the defensive end, finishing with six steals. Erica Trahan, the Lady Tigers’ third leading scorer, finished with four points. Gabrielle Jones came off the bench to score a team-high seven points.
LSU had a balanced scoring attack, with three players scoring in double-figures. Sylvia Fowles led LSU with 16 points on 6-9 shooting. Mesha Williams folllowed with 14 points on 7-9 shooting and Quianna Channey added 12.
Jackson State managed to stay within seven points of LSU over the first eight minutes of the game, but LSU’s size, athleticism and NCAA Tourneament experience took over from that point. LSU really began to attack the paint with Fowles and Williams. In the first half JSU shot 17.4% from the field (4-23), while LSU connected at a 46.4% rate (13-28). LSU took a 33-11 lead into half time.
“We played a great basketball team,” said JSU head coach Denise Taylor. “I thought for our team, our young ladies, we had a game plan but we didn’t execute our game plan, so I have to give LSU credit.”
In the second half JSU scored 21 points and LSU scored 33. For the game Jackson State shot 23.1% from the floor (12-52), 18.2% from three-point range (2-11), and 85.7% from the free throw line (6-7).
LSU shot 50.9% from the floor (28-55), 28.6% in three-pointers (2-7), and 50% from the line (8-16).
Jackson State finished the 2007-08 season with an incredible run that ended in the NCAA Tournament.
