Lady Bengals open with two layups, first home game Wednesday

The LSU Eunice women’s basketball team kicks off its home schedule Wednesday night against Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
The Lady Bengals are 2-0 under new coach Yolanda Moore after sweeping Mountain View College in Dallas, Texas on Friday and Saturday.
Wednesday’s game is a 6 p.m. tipoff with a White Out encouraged on the part of fans attending.
The team opened Friday night with a 88-26 runaway and followed Saturday by cracking the century mark in a 101-44 win, its 21st win against one loss all-time against Mountain View.

Following the opening victory, first-year head coach Yolanda Moore said, “Overall, I am pleased with the win and their hustle and effort overall…getting on the floor after loose balls, trying to get to the basket as much as we could.”
 “Before we made the trip out here, we meet with all the players individually and told them what their roles were on this team. Everybody, of course, bought into it at the time, but you won’t know whether or not they did until you actually have apply that to a game. For the most part, everyone went in and did what was expected of them, so I am very pleased with their effort,” Moore said.
“I feel like I know what I’m doing now,” Moore joked about getting her first game (and win) under her belt.
“There’s always that pressure of the first game. Now it’s out of our system. Even for the team, it’s a sigh of relief getting that first game out of the way.”
Reagan Maricle scored the opening points of the season, driving through the lane for a layup and drawing the foul, and the Lady Bengals never looked back. In all, 10 players made it into the score book for the visitors – with four tallying double-digit performances.
Taylor Maricle finished with a game-high 15 points, including nine in the first half, while Meghan Cross added 14 points (10 in the second half) of her own. Brooke Richard notched 10 of her 12 total points in the second half, as Baylie Lee totaled eight of her 10 points in the opening frame. Kelsey Thibodeaux scored 10 points, all in the second half, to round out the double-digit scorers.
Taylor Holzmeier finished her first collegiate game with nine points, while Taylor Hurd added eight points to begin her sophomore campaign. Reagan Maricle collected six total points, while Ashlyn Wiemann and Victoria Fontenot each added two points to finish the scoring.
The Lady Bengals never trailed in the contest, leading by as many as 22 in the first half (3 times) before fully blowing the game open in the final stanza, with the lead ballooning higher and higher before reaching the eventual final margin of 62 points.
Through steals and Mountain View missed baskets, the Lady Bengals continually pushed the ball down the floor in the opening half, leading to layups and short jump shots. LSU Eunice took only a handful of three-point attempts, with Taylor Maricle sinking the only made three-pointer of the night midway through the first half.

On Saturday, the Lady Bengals saw the game’s opening minutes stay close before opening up the cushion midway through the first half.
Taylor Maricle led all scorers with 22 points, including 16 in the first half, to pace the Lady Bengals. Meghan Cross added 16 points (10 in the second half), Ashlyn Wiemann tallied 15 points (nine in the second half) and Brooke Richard finished with 13 points.
Maricle, Holzmeier and Misha Mouton all finished with seven points, while Kelsey Thibodeaux added six points, Taylor Hurd finished with four points and Victoria Fontenot and McKayla Willie each notched two points to round out the scoring.
For the second straight game, the Lady Bengals were able to get every player on the floor, allowing everyone time on the floor to work on the offensive and defensive sets.
“It gives us, the coaching staff, more information to work with. We kind of see what players work well in what situations,” Coach Moore said.