Lady Bengals Suffer Second Straight Tough Loss
Steven Bari
It has been a tumultuous season to say the least for the Lady Bengals. And it just became a little tougher after falling to Hill College 76-68.
A classic case of Dr. Jekkyl and Mr. Hyde seems to have plagued LSU Eunice this season. The team has led in every game they’ve played this season by at least 10 points going into halftime. In tonight’s game, the margin was 12 going to the break. The problem seems to be the second half, in which they’ve been outscored in every contest.
The Lady Bengals jumped out to an early seven point lead, thanks to back to back field goals from
Twanisha Tillman. Hill quickly responded with a run behind Jessica Lyons’ back to back jumpers to take a seven point lead of their own.
The Lady Bengals quickly took over, scoring 15 straight points, and taking their biggest lead of the game of 13 with a little over three minutes to play in the first half. At the first half buzzer, LSUE was 16-34 from the field for 47 percent, forcing 13 Hill turnovers as well.
But those second half woes loomed large, and Hill immediately took advantage. Hill transitioned into a full-court pressure defense, and forced LSU Eunice to take shots outside of their normal offense. LSUE missed on six of their first seven shots in the half, and Head Coach Michael Bari was forced to call a timeout. Things didn’t get better for the Bengals, who then committed four straight turnovers, and allowed the Lady Rebels to come within two points.
LSU Eunice surrendered their lead for the final time with 7:08 to play, allowing Hill to cruise to victory.
Erica Noel, the Bengals leading scorer going into tonight’s contest, finished 5-9 from the field for 12 points. She also recorded six rebounds and four steals.
Amanda Fontenot played and started in her first game this season, and finished with six points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Twanisha Tillman and
Jennifer Hicks were the top two scoring leaders for the Lady Bengals, finishing with 17 and 13 points, respectively. Tillman was 6-16 from the field, but recorded five turnovers. For Hicks, it wasn’t the usual star-studded performance she’s been known to display. Hicks, who holds the NJCAA record for most free throws made in a game, was 4-10 from the line tonight, marking a career-most in free throws missed in a game for her. The team on the whole was a dreadful 19-36 from the charity stripe.
By virtue of their loss, the Lady Bengals are advanced into the consolation bracket. Their Friday opponent was determined to be San Jacinto College out of Houston, Texas. LSU Eunice enjoyed success last season against the Lady Gators, winning in both of their games played. Tip-off time for Friday’s contest is scheduled for approximately 2 p.m.
Box Score
