After nearly two full months on the road, the Lady Bengals finally returned home to Eunice.
Their homecoming was a sweet one, defeating Murray State College 87-72 Friday afternoon. The win was the first game of two in the sixth annual LSU Eunice New Year’s Classic.
Erica Noel enjoyed her return home in particular, as she led all scorers with 27 points, going 8-16 from the field, and 5-9 from behind the three-point line. She also added 10 rebounds to round out the double-double, her fifth of the season.
Noel was able to lead her Lady Bengals to a 15 point victory, after the team suffered through a tough trip through Arizona two weeks ago, where they went 1-3 in those games. Coming into the game on a two-game losing skid, the Lady Bengals also were aware of the fact that they had a second half lead in each of their three losses out west.
LSU Eunice struck first in this contest on a three pointer by Noel, to take the early 3-0 lead. LSUE would hold that lead for the remainder of the game.
Twanisha Tillman was also a key factor in the victory, tallying 25 points and 10 rebounds. Tillman struggled from the foul line, going just 7-15 from the charity stripe, but was able to be a factor from three, hitting four of her seven attempts.
Sierra Goldwire and
Amanda Fontenot added to the rebounding machine that was the Lady Bengals, who out-rebounded the Lady Aggies 62-48. Goldwire grabbed 15 boards, matching her second-highest total of the season. Fontenot had nine rebounds from the point guard position, and she recorded 10 assists. It was the second time this season she reached double-digit assists, the previous time versus Glendale CC in Arizona.
Jennifer Hicks had a tough afternoon, going 0-11 from the field and also recording seven turnovers. She was able to manage 10 points, all from the free throw line, connecting on all 10 of her attempts. Hicks did reach a milestone, when she recorded her 100th career block at LSU Eunice as part of her four today.
The New Year’s Classic continues on Saturday as Murray State takes on Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College out of Perkinston, MS. Gulf Coast will then take on the Lady Bengals on Sunday at 2 pm.
GAME STATS