UALR Women Get Close To Upset, Fall Short to LSU

LITTLE ROCK – The UALR women’s basketball team came out on fire against one of the country’s best teams, but they could not hold onto a six-point halftime lead on Sunday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center.

Kiera Clark had 17 points – including 11 in the first half – and a team-high eight rebounds as the Trojans fell 58-51 to No. 13 LSU in a tightly contested game. Taylor Gault also reached double figures, scoring 12 points, and Taylor Ford had 13 points and a team-leading eight assists.

UALR (4-4) had a tremendous first 20 minutes, defending well and allowing the visitors to shoot just 29.2 percent. The Trojans, who led by as many as 10 in the period, forced nine LSU turnovers and had five steals using only six players to go into the break with a 30-24 edge.

But after the half, LSU showed some of what makes it one of the top 15 teams in the country. The Trojans got into foul trouble as five different players had at least four fouls at game’s end, sending the Tigers to the line 37 total times. They made 26 of those free throws, including 18 in the second half.

“They did a phenomenal job against us in the first half of pushing tempo and scoring in transition,” said LSU head coach Nikki Caldwell. “In the second half we finally started controlling the tempo of the game. We are glad to come out of here with a win in a tough place to play.”

In the first four minutes of the second half, the Tigers had the Trojans’ six-point lead down to just one. Four minutes later, UALR was trailing 40-35. The Tigers led by as many as 13 with five minutes to play, but the Trojans scored nine of the game’s last 12 points to make the final margin only seven.

After being held to a season-low 24 points in the first half, Caldwell started the second half with the lineup of Kenney, McKinney and the freshmen trio of Moncrief, Rina Hill and Jasmine Rhodes. The freshmen ignited a spark with athletic play and tremendous defense.

“That has been an area that has challenged us, the start of the second half,” said Caldwell. “We found a nice combination. We did a nice job changing up our defense, playing hard and making hustle plays. I give credit to our team for pulling through there.”

Clark had a tremendous day overall, and her 17 points were two shy of her season best. Clark was 5 of 5 from the field in the first half and ended the afternoon making seven of her 10 shots. Her eight rebounds all came on the defensive glass. Gault, starting for the first time in a month, also had four assists and a steal. Sophomore Shanity James had three steals and six rebounds, while senior Hannah Fohne scored three points and added six rebounds off the bench.

UALR came out strong in the early going, with a Ford 3-pointer giving the team a 3-2 lead in the first minute. The Trojans held a 5-3 advantage at the first media timeout after stealing the ball twice and blocking a Tigers shot. That theme continued to be true in the game’s next segment as the Trojans upped their lead to 11-6 at the second media timeout on shots by Clark, James and Gault.

The lead only got bigger at the midway point of the half when Clark continued to stay hot from the field. She was a perfect 3 of 3 with eight minutes left in the half, and made a fourth shot that was called off for an offensive foul, and she would finish the half with five made baskets on five shots.

UALR maintained that lead for the rest of the half, going up by as many as 10 with four minutes to go. The Tigers closed the gap to six at halftime, but UALR’s 30-24 advantage had the team encouraged on its way to the locker room.

The Trojans now have the next four days off as they prepare for a road trip to Ruston, La., on Friday. There, UALR will take on Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m.