he Texas Wesleyan Lady Rams weren't able to complete a second-half rally over LSU-Shreveport and lost their first home game 77-69.
In the first quarter, the Pilots jumped out to a 16-10 lead behind strong rebounding. LSU-Shreveport had 12 total rebounds in the first quarter to the Lady Rams' four. That overall rebounding advantage held throughout the game, giving the Pilots second and third shots. The Pilots had 11 second chance points, while Texas Wesleyan had eight. Overall, LSU-Shreveport had 34 rebounds to Texas Wesleyan's 23, with the Lady Rams logging seven of those as offensive rebounds for those second chance points.
Texas Wesleyan also struggled with shooting with a 37.3% percentage from the field, while the Pilots had a 48.3% percentage from the field. The Lady Rams started the game making only three of 14 shots from the field in the first quarter for a 21.4% shooting percentage in the first. In the second and third quarters, Texas Wesleyan improved
When the Lady Rams tightened their defense in the second half to put full-court pressure on LSU-Shreveport, the Pilots weren't able to handle the pressure. Texas Wesleyan pulled within two points and scored 15 points off of turnovers. But the Lady Rams still trailed by six points late in the game. Texas Wesleyan tried fouling to get the ball back to score, but the Pilots were able to use their free throws to increase the lead and hold off the Lady Rams.
Zarria Carter had 26 points, eight rebounds, and three steals to lead the Lady Rams. Taryn Willis scored 22 points, including a half-court three-pointer that ended the second quarter of the game, sending the Lady Rams into the locker room at the half with a much-needed boost.
The Lady Rams travel to Tyler for their first away game on Saturday, Nov. 12, as they face Texas College before starting SAC play on Nov. 17 against Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma.
