23rd-ranked Lady Bengals take 13-game winning streak into conference play after Saturday victory
The LSU Eunice women's basketball team will roll into conference play on a 13-game winning streak following a 66-57 victory on Saturday afternoon against Faulkner State Community College.
The Lady Bengals (19-1), ranked No. 23 in the country, led from the start, withstanding a quick run from Faulkner State (9-9) in the opening minute of the second half that cut the advantage to three points before LSU Eunice went on a 14-7 run over the next five and a half minutes to give themselves a cushion they would not give up.
"I challenged the team at halftime. I let them know I wasn't pleased even though we were ahead at the time…and they responded well," head coach Yolanda Moore said.
Overall, LSU Eunice finished the night shooting 41 percent (24-for-58) from the floor in the win, despite hitting just two (2-18, 17 percent) three-point attempts. They did cash in at the free throw line, connecting for an even 50 percent (12-24) of their attempts at the stripe.
"We had a big performance from Reagan. I really challenged her during halftime. She was able to hit the open man, she was able to knock down her shot, and she really controlled the tempo out there on the floor. Her change is what really sparked our change in the second half," Moore added.
Sophomore Reagan Maricle led the charge in the second half for the Lady Bengals, scoring 13 of her game-high 17 points in the final stanza. Fellow sophomore Meghan Cross finished with 14 points, including eight in a row during the LSU Eunice second half run to build the advantage.
Reagan Maricle filled her statline on the night, adding give rebounds, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocks to her point total, while Cross grabbed seven rebounds and notched a steal, an assist and a block of her own.
Baylie Lee was the final player to finish in double-digits, as the sophomore tallied 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, blocked two shots and added an assist.
Brooke Richard contributed eight points with four steals, two rebounds and an assist, while Taylor Maricle and Taylor Holzmeier each finished the night with six points. Taylor Maricle added five rebounds, four steals and four blocks, while Holzmeier grabbed three rebounds.
Freshman Meghan Knight added a point from the free throw line to round out the Lady Bengal scoring, chipping in a rebound as well.
For the Lady Bengals, they now transition into Miss-Lou Conference play, where opponents will play a similar style to what they have seen from Faulkner State the last two games.
"Faulkner State has the same characteristics of the teams that we are going to face in conference play. This is great preparation for us, and our kids know what to expect on Wednesday when we face Baton Rouge," Moore said.
LSU Eunice opens Miss-Lou Conference play on Wednesday night at home when they welcome Baton Rouge Community College to town in the first of three conference meetings between the two teams this season.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday night, and can be seen on Bengal All-Access and heard on KVPI 92.5 FM.
