Morgan Carrier, left ,watches as Caitlyn Williams, right, prepares to shoot in the game that saw her contributing 20 points with a double-double at the half. Rachel Tayor/The Lion's Roar

The Lady Lions basketball team won 96-78 against Louisiana State University of Alexandria in their exhibition match.

Senior guard Taylin Underwood explained how the team prepared for their season opener.

“We really focused on communication and getting used to each other,” said Underwood. “We’ve got a lot of new girls.”

Of the new members, freshman forward Caitlyn Williams made an impact with a double-double inside the first half. She finished with 20 points, 23 rebounds and two steals in the game. Head Coach Ayla Guzzardo commented on her performance.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” said Guzzardo. “A double-double at the half is huge. She’s a freshman, and the sky is the limit for her. If she can keep working and we can keep her healthy, then she’s going to be an outstanding player.”

Underwood also added 20 points to the Lady Lions score followed by junior guard Jaclyn Scholvin with 11 points. Junior guard Ashailee Brailey, sophomore guard Courtney Dawsey and senior forward Tytiana Hall scored nine points each while sophomore guard Tyler Morrison added eight points. Brailey also contributed with two steals.

When reflecting on the Lady Lions performance, Underwood focused on areas of improvement.

“I think we could have applied a little more pressure,” said Underwood. “There’s no way they should have had that many points.”

Guzzardo also has plans for improvement.

“We gave up way too many points at the end of the game with easy layups to the basket and easy boxouts,” said Guzzardo. “Defense is what we’re going to improve.”

Underwood echoed this sentiment.

“We learned not to take anybody too lightly,” said Underwood. “I think that’s what we did today. We took them a little too lightly, so obviously the defense is what hurt us.”

The Lady Lions struggled with fouls, with three occurring all in the last minute of the game, allowing LSU Alexandria to grab six points from free throws.

“We’ve got to adapt to how referees are calling,” said Guzzardo. “If they’re going to call tight, then we have to work on it and get hands up and show two hands.”

The Lady Lions have three more games before the 2017-18 Akron Classic, and Guzzardo is optimistic going forward.

“We’re going to get better every day,” said Guzzardo. “If we can get better every day, that’s the key, we’ll continue to have victories.”

The next game will be at home against Alcorn State University on Friday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. in the University Center. The first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring Williams and freshman guard Morgan Carrier.