ALEXANDRIA, LA – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria women's basketball team routed their Red River Rival, Louisiana Christian University in a 77-50 affair.
 
"When you're playing a rivalry game, the pressure of playing the game is tough sometimes," LSUA Head Coach Billy Perkins said. "At halftime we were just trying to stick to the game plan. There were a couple things we had to tweak and I'm proud of how the girls responded."
 
The 27-point margin was the largest victory differential in the Generals' (5-7, 4-3 RRAC) history against LCU. The previous margin was 24 points from a 71-47 victory on January 22, 2024.
 
"I'm very proud of our focus during this week when you come back from break," Perkins said. "There wasn't a lot of talk about the rivalry, we were just looking to get ready for the game. It didn't look like it was going to end up like that, but we just kind of pulled away. In the third quarter we subbed five for five and I think that sort of took some steam out of them."
 
Justice Young led the Purple and Gold with 17 points. Sydney Person (12) and Reese Stephens (10) also contributed double-digit scoring efforts. Young recorded a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds. Stephens dished out a team-best six assists. LSUA scored 36 points in the paint, 28 points off turnovers, and the bench chipped in 25 points.
 
Kylei Leblanc recorded 22 points for the Wildcats (1-12, 0-7 RRAC), while Maddison Carey recorded 11. LCU shot just 27.3 percent from the floor, including shooting 20 percent or below in both the third and fourth quarters.
 
The Generals opened the game with a 6-0 and the Wildcats matched. A pair of free throws from Amiyah Simpkins gave LCU a brief 8-6 lead, before Person knocked down a jumper to tie the game again.
 
LCU was ahead by three with 2:12 left in the first quarter when a jumper from Leblanc gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the game, 15-10. A three from Stephens and a layup from Person tied the game at 15-15.
 
Kateria Gooden put the Wildcats ahead 17-15 with a layup and under 60 seconds left in the quarter. Free throws from Stephens and Addison Walker tied it before Walker found Young underneath the basket for a layup and a 19-17 lead.
 
LSUA opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run with a pair of threes from Walker and Person, as well as a layup from Young for a 27-17 advantage. The Generals' lead hovered near double digits for the remainder of the quarter for a 38-30 edge heading into halftime.
 
The Wildcats mounted a comeback effort to start the third, opening the quarter on an 8-0 run, bringing the score to 40-38 in favor of LSUA. They kept it within two possessions until the Generals mounted a quick run of their own.
 
Stephens knocked down a pair of free throws, which were followed by a three from Kaitlyn Blake and a jumper from Young, extending the Generals lead to 51-40. LSUA never looked back. By the end of the third, the Generals lead by 23, 64-41.
 
LSUA is on the road next week as they travel to San Antonio, Texas for a pair of games against Our Lady of the Lake and Texas A&M-San Antonio.