:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47671063/usa-today-8501039.0.jpg)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Lady Tigers held on for a 61-54 overtime win against ULM. It was kind of hard to watch. The Golden Band from Tigerland's Shake it Off rendition was pretty cool, though.
#LSU Tiger Band just played @taylorswift13 Shake It Off. And few were here to witness it. pic.twitter.com/yMnk1V6WU7
— Bria Felicien (@curlyscribe) November 15, 2015
The difference in the game:
- Raigyne Moncrief’s jump shot as time expired in regulation
- Alexis Hyder’s double-double
- ULM’s missed free throws.
Moncrief missed her first seven shots then made three of her final four. She said "the Lord was on her side" during that game-changing shot attempt. Hyder was the anchor for the Lady Tigers, grabbing 15 rebounds and scoring 15 points while adding three steals, two blocks and two assists. Hyder said she had no choice but to contribute – not only because she wanted to win, but also because head coach Nikki Fargas made sure she never forgot to.
"I don’t know if anybody else heard it, but every time out, every dead ball, everything - it was ‘Rebound Lex, Rebound Lex, Rebound Lex,’" Hyder said. "It was pound in my head ‘You gotta go get it, you gotta go get it. We came out where we want it to be."
ULM only scored one point in OT – a free throw – and missed 3 of 4 of those. The Lady Warhawks shot 52 percent from the free throw line overall. ULM head coach Jeff Dow mentioned he was confident in his ability to beat LSU after watching the Lady Tigers’ loss to Wake Forest, but said his team handed the Lady Tigers the win.
"That game was ours," Dow said. "Just didn’t quite finish it, but will be a learning experience for our team. This game should be a springboard for bigger and better things for our program. We probably opened some eyes."
For all the turnovers, missed shot attempts and overall sloppy play throughout regulation, LSU was at its best during overtime. To end the game, Ann Pedersen blocked a shot, went to the other end and hit a jumper to put LSU up by three just before Jenna Deemer put the game away with a 3-pointer. LSU finished the game on an 8-0 run. ULM didn’t score for the final 3:25.
"Losing wasn’t an option," Moncrief said. "We’re not supposed to lose. We had to make things happen on the defensive end, and we had to make things happen on the offensive end."
Both teams had trouble scoring: LSU made 20 of 54 shots. ULM made 16 of 43.
Both teams constantly turned the ball over: LSU had 25. ULM had 27.
Both teams fouled a lot: LSU had 27. ULM had 23. Ann Jones and Akilah Bethel fouled out for LSU along with ULM’s Alayshia Hunter.
"We’ve got to realize that a forearm on somebody is going to be an automatic foul," Fargas said. "I felt that Ann Jones played physical, but Monroe also played physical. We’re going to take a look at that and see how we can dial down and adjust."
For parts of the game, the Lady Tigers looked lost on offense, but LSU out rebounded ULM 42-29. LSU had 3 players in double-digit scoring: Hyder with 15, Rina Hill with 12 and Ann Jones with 11.
The Lady Tigers are now 1-1 and travel to University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Wednesday.