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The Lady Tigers fell 47-44 to Samford in the PMAC on Monday.
LSU is below .500 with a 6-7 record headed into SEC play, which begins on Sunday, Jan. 3 in Tuscaloosa. The Lady Tigers host Ole Miss on Jan. 7.
On Monday, LSU played without:
- Junior G Raigyne Moncreif (season-ending surgery)
- Freshman F Ayana Mitchell (season-ending surgery)
- Senior F Akilah Bethel (suspension, violation of team rules)
Notable stats from Monday:
- Anne Pedersen led scoring with a career-high 15 points
- Pedersen led the team in rebounds (first time this season) with six
- LSU scored eight points in the first quarter
- Samford out-rebounded LSU, but turned the ball over more
Since the loss of Moncreif, there's been no consistent leading scorer, rebounder for LSU. Sophomore Jenna Deemer has had a few breakout games (scoring 55 points across three consecutive games), junior Alexis Hyder has pitched in two double doubles, but there's no consistency. Against Samford, Deemer scored six points and tallied five rebounds in 30 minutes and Hyder added two points, five rebounds in her 18 minutes.
An optimist could say that's because different players are stepping up when necessary for the team. A realist would note that somebody has to step up when your team is having trouble scoring, rebounding and keeping possession of the ball.
In the three games Moncreif played, she averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per game. Moncrief also has that clutch gene, and instincts can't be taught.
"I think that's what we are missing, that internal leadership to say ‘no more, we are going to get this done and we are going to turn this around,' " Nikki Fargas said.