Rapides felony drug arrests are accusations, not convictions.

November 7
Deanna Collins, 50, Pineville — possession two counts, criminal trespass, $3,500 bail;

Melanie Michiels, 44, Boyce — possession, paraphernalia, $3,000 bail

Quick Fried Chicken is a recipe I consider an Ultimate Win.  And as a busy working mom I need as many of those as I can get!  I have tried many chicken recipes, and this will forever be in my top 5.  This is what I remember eating at both of my grandmothers’ houses growing up.  I hope you enjoy this!

Ingredients:

• Chicken tenderloins
• Salt & pepper to taste
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs, whisked
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• ¾ cup Parmesan
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 – 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

Pound chicken with meat tenderizer.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Set up coating trays – one with flour, one with eggs, and one with Panko and Parmesan.  Dredge chicken in that order.  Heat butter and oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Fry chicken in batches.  Do not overlap chicken pieces.  Fry 3-4 minutes each side and set on plate with paper towel to absorb excess grease.

Ashley Madden Rowton is a wife, mom and published cookbook author who lives in Minden, La.

By JIM BUTLER

Trial of a man accused of striking and killing an Alexandria bicyclist is now docketed for February 5, almost three years after the Horseshoe Drive accident.

Authorities assert David Westmoreland was legally drunk when his truck struck Donnie Cayer’s bicycle from behind on May 1, 2021, hurtling Cayer, 48, into the grass not far from where he and a son regularly fed ducks and geese in Bayou Robert. The son was riding along side, off road, at the time.

Westmoreland, 60 when arrested, is also charged with vehicular homicide, hit and run and violation of limitations on passing bicycles.

The case has drawn extraordinary attention because Westmoreland is a retired state trooper who at the time was a parish probation officer, an employee of district court.

That last circumstance is perhaps the greatest contributor to what some think is a snail’s pace toward resolution.

The seven 9th District judges immediately recused themselves in the matter. The state Supreme Court then appointed retired Third Circuit Judge Jimmie Peters to preside.

Meanwhile a pandemic was causing interruptions in the legal system just as it was in every other aspect of life.

The DA’s Office finally got the case file in December 2021 and an indictment was returned in May 2022.

Pre-trial conference in April 2023 was scotched when Peters was unable to be present.

And a June 2023 trial date was continued on the agreement of both sides in order to allow further preparation.

Meanwhile a civil action filed in May 2021 by Cayer’s estranged wife on behalf of her two sons is on hold because deposition of Westmoreland cannot be taken while the criminal case continues.

As with the criminal case, the judges also recused from the civil action. Retired Judge Don C. Burns of Columbia has been appointed to hear the matter.

Whether the election of a new judge in March-April to succeed John Davidson, who retired in September, will have a bearing on the proceedings is anybody’s guess.

According to the record, Westmoreland returned to the scene a short while after the collision. Witnesses weren’t sure of the time lapse.

His blood alcohol was measured at .137.

Westmoreland’s attorney called the officer at the scene and questioning of him stopped at that point.

Both Westmoreland and Cayer were eastbound (toward Masonic Drive) at the time.

Kelvin Sanders is prosecuting the case. Mike Small is defending.

Maybe one of the toughest parts of being a major college head football coach of programs with national championship traditions is finishing a season when title hopes have evaporated.

You try to find a new goal and sell it to your players, hoping they buy in.

And that’s become more challenging for almost the last 10 years when elite players bypass postseason play (unless it involves playing for a national championship) to avoid injury as they enter the NFL Draft.

This is where second-year LSU head coach Brian Kelly finds himself this week after Saturday’s 42-28 loss at Alabama killed the Tigers’ slim hopes of advancing to the SEC title game for the second consecutive season.

There is nothing faulty about LSU’s 6-3 overall record and 4-2 SEC West ledger. It’s an accurate reflection of a team that hasn’t been able to fix its flawed defensive backfield which struggled from day one in preseason camp.

Last season’s SEC Western Division title won by the Tigers, who finished 10-4 overall and 6-2 in the SEC, was fools’ gold. They had three double digits scoring deficits against Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss and won each game. They edged Alabama in overtime and escaped Arkansas with a 3-point win when the Hogs played without QB KJ Jefferson.

LSU could have easily gone 7-5 a year ago in the regular season. But they had veteran defensive playmakers who were able to execute D-coordinator Matt House’s halftime adjustments.

And the transfer portal defensive backfield additions were solid. There were virtually no obvious personnel holes defensively, and quarterback Jayden Daniels’ rapid improvement in the back half of the schedule made the Tigers the surprise team in the league.

This season, from the jump, the defense has been trying to fight its way back to being serviceable. When new LSU D-line coach Jimmy Lindsey left the team at the start of training camp to deal with a “personal health matter,” Kelly tried to re-shuffle his staff from within.

The result of mediocre line play, plus the three healthy transfer portal cornerbacks proving to be exceedingly underwhelming, left Daniels and LSU’s offense to carry the team.

The offense has produced record-setting numbers. Daniels has enjoyed the second-best season in LSU history by a QB compared to Joe Burrow’s 2019 Heisman Trophy season when the Tigers won the national championship.

But the one thing Kelly and House haven’t been able to do is find enough defensive schemes to cover LSU’s cornerback woes. The result has been doing things like using play-wrecking linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. more in pass coverage than coming off the edge and using unmatched speed to rush quarterbacks.

Kelly has never publicly complained about the dumpster fire he took over from previously fired head coach Ed Orgeron, who had no clue how to maintain a consistent winning program after the 2019 title.

He made bad hires in 2020 and 2021 for offensive and defensive coordinators and lost the trust of the team. And then he happily skipped out the door with a $17.1 million buyout.

By the time Orgeron was working on his tan, LSU was left with 39 scholarship players to play in a January 2022 Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State.

Kelly had taken over Division 1 programs at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame where rebuilds were involved, so he understands it’s a process of stockpiling recruiting classes.

But the scholarship deficit he faced at LSU was far worse than any school he’d ever taken over.

Kelly said early this season he thought his program was a year away from contending for championships. He’s been pretty consistent in that message. He understands why there’s a gap between LSU and two-time defending national champ Georgia and Nick Saban’s six-time national champion Alabama dynasty.

“We’ve had some young transfer portal players who have done a nice job for us,” Kelly said. “But you want to develop your players. Alabama and Georgia have done a great job of developing players through the program where they don’t have to put them on the field until they’ve been seasoned. And then when they’re ready to play, physically, mentally and technically, they can play at the highest level.

“So, we’re just a step behind. But we’re closing the gap again.”

It’s why Kelly wants badly to win the last three regular season games and a bowl game to finish with 10 wins for a second consecutive season. He wants to maintain consistency and not give the appearance of losing ground.

“I want to be around elite because that’s what this program (is),” Kelly said. “I didn’t come down to LSU to be good. I came here to be elite. And our players that sign scholarship papers here, I’m sure they do it because they want to be elite, too. I know our fan base doesn’t want (just) good. I can tell already that’s not the case. It’s about being elite.”

“So, these are weeks where you’re talking about `Why are you here?’ I know why I’m here. Why are you here? We’re here on this chase to be elite. And so, it’s going to require you to work on these things if you want to be elite.”

And that means finishing this season with a flourish and not moving on to 2024 just yet.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism announced today the Louisiana “Celebration Gator” float and Louisiana musicians will once again participate in the 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. For the third year in a row, the 60-foot-long, alligator-themed float, the “Celebration Gator,” will roll through the streets of New York to encourage millions of live spectators and millions more on television to celebrate in Louisiana style.

The performance will feature Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw from Mandeville and country singer and Alexandria native Alex Smith who will bring an energetic and exciting performance to New York aboard the gator.

“We are excited to have Amanda and Alex riding the Louisiana float this year and performing for us,” said Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Once again, it is an amazing opportunity to share with the world our music and how Louisianans can Feed Your Soul with our celebratory spirit.”

Inspired by all facets of Louisiana’s culture and thriving tourist appeal, the “Celebration Gator” features a colorful street view of Louisiana: a blend of the New Orleans French Quarter architecture with heavy influences of Spanish colonial rule and Creole fashion. It is the longest float to ever roll in the parade, measuring 60 feet from mouth to tail. In addition to celebrating the state’s unique fusion of European, Caribbean, African, and Native American cultures, the float will include participants dressed in lavish baby gator costumes, as well as a team of stilt walkers, all done in an elaborate celebration of Louisiana traditions for millions of spectators in New York City and TV viewers across the nation.

Louisiana first joined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2021 to encourage visitors from around the world to visit Louisiana for a one-of-a-kind experience. Lieutenant Governor Nungesser added that New Orleans award-winning musicians Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty “knocked it out of the park” when they rode and performed during the parade in 2021 and 2022.  The estimated reach in viewership totaled 2.4 billion and the estimated advertising value was $22 million for those two years.  

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air nationwide in the U.S. on NBC and stream on Peacock, on Thursday, November 23, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. until noon; in all time zones.

Nancy Jones, widow of the late Country music icon George Jones will be in Many on Saturday, Nov. 11, for an autograph party to celebrate her new book, “Playin’ Possum, My Memories of George Jones.” The event will be at Many City Hall, 965 San Antonio Ave., from 10 a.m. until noon. There is no admission charge, and everyone is invited to attend.

The book will be on sale at the event, and Ms. Jones will autograph, pose for pictures and visit with attendees.

A native of Mansfield, she lived in northwest Louisiana a long time, marrying and having two daughters before moving to Shreveport, where she worked on the assembly line at Western Electric.

In November 1981, Nancy was invited by friend Linda Morris to go to Rochester, NY for a George Jones concert. Linda was dating a member of Jones’ road crew. Nancy did not know who George Jones was but was talked into going. She was introduced to the singer, and they immediately connected. They were married on March 4, 1983.

The new book reveals little known poignant as well as humorous stories about the Country music legend, sharing honestly his battles against the demons that sought to control and destroy him. Millions of people knew and loved the singer, but few people know that behind the man and his golden voice was a strong, feisty woman who not only saved his life from cocaine addiction, alcoholism and other abusive and self-destructive behaviors, but was also instrumental in helping him find a new lifepath of faith.
Married for more than 30 years, Nancy knew George better than anyone else on earth – the good George and the bad George – the horrendous and the hilarious. Nancy was a tenacious fighter, and most people who knew George credit Nancy with saving his life and rebuilding his career. Together, they brought joy and light to millions of people. He died April 26, 2013, at the age of 81.

Nancy hopes many of her friends from Natchitoches and Sabine Parishes will attend the autograph party in Many. Refreshments will be served, and everyone is invited to attend. Those who wish to do so are also invited to bring a veteran photo to display on the special Veterans Day Table of Honor during the event, which falls on the holiday. Book sales will be cash or card.

Rapides felony charges are accusations, not convictions. 

November 6
Prentis Benjamin, 38, New Iberia — battery aggravated, $3,000 bail;
Demetrius Griffin, 31, Alexandria — simple strangle domestic abuse battery strangulation, theft of motor vehicle, $25,000 bail;
Shontavious Piper, 24, Alexandria — illegal use of weapon in commission of crime, aggravated resisting officer with force or violence two counts, battery on officer two counts, disturbing peace sound amplification system, aggravated assault domestic abuse, domestic abuse battery, $7,500 bail. 

Rapides felony drug charges are accusations, not convictions. 

November 6
Deon Ardoin, 21, Eunice — possession, paraphernalia, $1,000 bail. 

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Biologists examined a variety of Florida Largemouth Bass fingerlings and assisted in placing the fish in suitable habitats along the Red River in Avoyelles and Rapides parishes Wednesday morning for the Red River Waterway Commission.

“We’re the liaison,” explained LDWF Fisheries Biologist Talon Jeppson. “We make sure the quantity is correct, we do genetic testing and then we put them in the best habitat for their growth and development.”

The fish were supplied by American Sportfish Hatchery of Montgomery, Alabama, and included pure Florida Bass as well as F1 “Tiger” bass that are a cross of Northern Bass and Florida Bass. Approximately 18,000 largemouth bass fingerlings were placed into the Red River on Wednesday. The fingerlings were 4-6 inches in length, with 7,200 Florida Largemouth Bass fingerlings and 1,800 F1 fingerlings released into the Red River around the Ben Routh Recreation Area in Effie in Avoyelles Parish.

Additional releases were conducted Wednesday at the Fort Buhlow Lake Landing as well as the Boyce Recreation Area sites managed by the Red River Waterway Commission. Each of those sites received 3,600 pure Florida Bass and 900 F1 bass. Additional releases are scheduled later this month at RRWC sites along the Red River near Natchitoches and in Shreveport.

Dustin Hayes, Marketing Director for the Red River Waterway Commission, said the organization brings in the bass fingerlings to help rebuild the population after habitat was damaged by severe flooding in 2015 and 2016. “That flooding washed away habitat and washed away a lot of vegetation,” he said. “It’s coming back. We’re trying to do what we can to get the bass population and size back up. Our mission is to promote the recreation and economic development of the river, and this is a critical piece of supporting the recreation side. It’s essential that we get the fish population and size back to where it was before the floods.”

Shawn McNulty, owner of American Sportfish Hatchery, explained the F1 bass are a mix of Northern Largemouth Bass, which are native to Louisiana, and Florida Largemouth Bass. “You get the aggression of the Northern Bass and the size of the Florida Bass,” he said.

McNulty cited Lake Claiborne as an example of a successful stocking program. “Their tournament weights have jumped 10 pounds since we started stocking that lake,” he said. “Bringing in new genetics always invigorates the system.”

“It’s good to get those genetics into our water bodies,” Jeppson said, adding that the pure Florida Largemouth Bass can breed with the native Northern Largemouth Bass to create natural F1 bass. “Within a year, the bass we are releasing today will be able to breed. And then in year two they will be large enough to catch, and they will continue growing throughout their life.”

For more information about recreational fishing from the Red River Waterway Commission, visit their website at https://redriverwaterway.com/recreation/. For recreational fishing information from LDWF, visit the website at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/recreational-fishing.

Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a one-vehicle crash Saturday around 1 a.m. on U.S. Highway 71 near Cheneyville.  The crash claimed the life of 34-year-old Adam Tanner.

The initial investigation revealed that a 2018 Ford Fusion, driven by Tanner, was traveling north on U.S. Highway 71. For reasons still under investigation, Tanner’s vehicle left the roadway, vaulted into the air and struck a tree.

Tanner, who was not restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Routine toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.

While not all crashes are survivable, proper use of seat belts can greatly decrease an occupant’s chance of death and may greatly reduce the extent of injury. Always ensuring every occupant is properly restrained can often mean the difference between life and death.

In 2023, Troop E has investigated 46 fatal crashes, resulting in 51 deaths.

Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a one-vehicle crash on Nov. 2 around 10:50 a,m. on I-49 near mile post 78 in Rapides Parish. The crash claimed the life of 76-year-old Tandy McElwee Jr. of Shreveport.

The initial investigation revealed that a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by McElwee, was traveling north on I-49. For reasons still under investigation, McElwee’s vehicle traveled off the roadway, entered the median and struck the cable barrier.

McElwee, who was restrained, sustained severe injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Routine toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.

While the cause of this crash remains under investigation, distracted and inattentive driving continues to be a leading cause of crashes in our state.  Louisiana State Police urges all motorists to stay alert while driving.  A lapse in one’s awareness can have deadly consequences. 

In 2023, Troop E has investigated 45 fatal crashes, resulting in 50 deaths.

C.R. Carstens, a child of the Great Depression, at age 93, doesn’t care to retire. He reports to work every day of the work week and wears a suit each day, except for the days when he leaves early to play golf.

This past weekend Carl Rand Carstens is believed to have set a record as the oldest man to play in competition at Bringhurst Golf Course, which has been unchallenged in claiming to be the oldest continuous par-3 course in America. He played in Sunday’s sun-splashed Francis Trotter/Scott Brame Memorial, an annual scramble tournament to honor the late Francis Trotter and Scott Brame, the latter a nearly lifelong friend and fellow golf patriarch with Carstens.

Trotter and Brame are most credited for making the 9-hole course a charming landmark in Alexandria’s City Park for a long, long time. The course was built in the late 1920s, which means it’s around the same age as Carstens, who was born on December 20, 1929.

Carstens tooled around the course Sunday in a golf cart driven by his son, Bill. Thanks to two back surgeries in the last five years, he is no longer a walking golfer, and he can take only about a quarter backswing. Nonetheless, he and his son, Randy, finished fourth in the first flight with a 4-under-par score of 50.

His work is at Schnack’s, the jewelry store that has been in his family for six generations. He was the fourth generation, and his grandson, William, who is taking on more responsibilities from his father, Bill, represents the sixth generation. C.R.’s great grandfather C.A. Schnack, a watchmaker from Hamburg, Germany, moved from Germany to New York and then Alexandria and started the business in 1865, the final year of the Civil War.

A 1951 VMI graduate, Carstens served two years in the Army as a field artillery lieutenant, including a stint in Germany. He returned to Alexandria in 1953, and a week later went to work at Schnack’s and he’s been working there (through various location changes) ever since. He and Sally, who died six years ago, married in 1955 and they had four children. He has seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren. 

C.R. remembers first playing at Bringhurst around 1938.

“We considered Bringhurst a bargain,” said Carstens, reminiscing in his office with some old golf clubs standing against a nearby wall, including a Bobby Jones 1930s vintage “Calamity Jane” putter.

“The green fee was 25 cents, and you could play all day.” Born into a golfing family, C.R. “naturally gravitated” to golf. He started playing with his late brother Ken and other neighborhood kids who lived on streets near Bringhurst named for colleges: Harvard, Princeton and Yale. “Once we got interested, we joined as members for $1 a month.

“We’d ride our bicycles to Bringhurst,” he said in a soft-spoken drawl, “and put our clubs across the handlebar and hold ’em down with our fingers.”

During World War II, he and his golfing friends progressed to playing the old 9-hole Rapides Golf Course in Pineville that had two different tees on each hole to accommodate an 18-hole round. That course has long since been converted to Greenwood Cemetery.

“When Byron Nelson came and played an exhibition there, I got permission to get out of school (at Bolton) to see him play,” Carstens said. This was during an era when Nelson and Sam Snead were the top professional golfers. “Byron Nelson and Jug McSpaden (31 top-10 finishes in a single season) were the pros and they played with (local) amateurs Max Heinberg and B.W. ‘Slim’ Erskine.” Young C.R. figures he was among about 100 in the gallery.

He remembers liking Nelson’s easy swing, just as he liked the buttery-smooth swing of a later visiting PGA star, Julius Boros, whose motto was “swing easy, hit hard.”

The 5-foot-8 Carstens was never a long hitter but always a proficient chipper and putter, thanks to his early grooming at Bringhurst. These days, he plays at OakWing Golf Club three times a week with “a group of 70-year-old kids,” who allow him to tee off 50 yards in front of the front tier of tees on par-4 and par-5 holes, and he claims he can usually score an 83 or 84.

Keith Rabalais, a septuagenarian businessman who has played with him for many years, calls Carstens “the epitome of the Southern gentleman.”

Carstens has played courses in Scotland and Ireland such as Carnoustie and St. Andrews, and his favorite is California’s Pebble Beach. Asked why he loves golf, he fairly whispered, “I don’t know.” He offered a few of the predictable answers but confessed, “I really don’t have any profound,” not finishing the sentence.

After a moment of thought, his eyes twinkled. “It’s a sport you can play at any age,” he said, smiling, “and I’m a perfect example.”

By JIM BUTLER

The Roy administration proposes to move forward with substantive changes in the police and fire departments.

Public hearings on both items will be held at 5 p.m. November 14 preceding the scheduled City Council meeting.

A new supervisory position – chief of administration – would be created in the Fire Department.

Authorized by 2015 state law, the COA is a competitive post filled from among those eligible. Only current department members with 10 or more years fire experience can be considered.

The selection, appointment, supervision and discharge for the post lies with the fire chief, subject to appointing authority approval.

The governing authority establishes duties and responsibilities of the post. They may include direct supervision over all non-fire suppression personnel, both classified and non-classified.

The Police Department initiative is related to recruiting post-certified (previously qualified to carry sidearm) officers.

Two executive orders earlier this year set new or revised goals, procedures and standards for department recruiting and retention.

The Louisiana Christian University football program is back among the best 25 teams in the NAIA, sliding into the 25th and final spot in this week’s poll and setting up a spine-tingling Top 25 showdown at Texas Wesleyan on Saturday in Fort Worth.

Friends (Kansas) joins LCU in the backend of the rankings, displacing Concordia (Michigan) and Southwestern (Kansas) at Nos. 24 and 25, respectively, with the Wildcats snatching 22 total points to sit seven votes in front of the first team out of the picture, the MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers.

The Orange and Blue (7-1) had a bye week, but stayed active by playing a Senior Day scrimmage against unaccredited John Melvin University out of Crowley. The fledgling program may be a future expansion candidate for the Sooner Athletic Conference.

The other two SAC squads that have been mainstays in the top 25 are Ottawa (Arizona) and Texas Wesleyan.

OUAZ, the only team to beat the Cats, stayed still at #19 after also sitting idle over the weekend while this week’s opponent, the Rams of TexWes, moved up one slot to 15th after a 42-19 dismantling of Langston on the road.

Coach Drew Maddox and the freshly ranked Gridiron Cats can do something that no other can claim in 83 combined seasons between 1908 and 2022, claim any part of a conference championship, which would be successfully accomplished with a win in Fort Worth on Saturday.

JOURNAL SPORTS

Here is the final list of the LHSAA Select top 24 power rankings used to draw up the football playoff brackets. All six Rapides Parish teams in the postseason are included in these rankings.

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

LSU’s defending NCAA women’s basketball champions better hope the saying “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is true.

The Tigers’ preseason No. 1 ranking lasted the first 40 minutes of the 2023-24 season as No. 20 Colorado recorded a dominant 92-78 victory Monday night in the nationally-televised (TNT) Hall of Fame Series game in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Playing with the fire and flare LSU showed last season en route to winning its first national championship, a veteran Colorado squad dissected the Lady Tigers’ defense with efficient offensive execution and then played physical defense and shut down LSU’s vaunted inside game.

“This game was everything we wanted,” Colorado head coach JR Payne said. “We wanted a challenge and we wanted to take our team into the national spotlight so I can show the world how great they are. I’m really proud of how we played, proud of how we competed and it’s a great start to the year.”

Tigers third-year head coach Kim Mulkey was smoldering about her team’s lack of toughness. LSU became the first defending national champion to lose its season opener the following year since UConn lost to Louisiana Tech (with Mulkey as a Tech assistant) to open the 1995-96 season.

“I’m disappointed and surprised in some individual players that I thought would just be tougher and just have a little fight and leadership about them,” Mulkey said. “I’m not going to call out players.

“I’m just going to tell you that you live with poor shooting, you live with just a tough night offensively. What I don’t live with is just guts and fight and physical play. And you got just that dog in you. And I just didn’t think we had that tonight.”

The Colorado trio of Frida Formann (a career-high 27 points), Aaronette Vonleh (24 points) and Jaylyn Sherrod (19 points) combined for 70 points and for most of the game outscored the Tigers by themselves.

First-team All-America junior forward Angel Reese (15 points, 12 rebounds) and sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson (3 points, 1 rebound), LSU’s two returning starters, combined for just 18 points and 13 rebounds.

The only LSU player who looked comfortable from start to finish was true freshman guard Mikaylah Williams. The former Bossier City-Parkway star started and scored a team-high 17 points on 8 of 16 field goals (including a 3-pointer) in 31 minutes of playing time.

“I just didn’t want to go down without a fight,” Williams said. “Just giving everything I had at the moment and trying to see what could come out of it.”

Mulkey praised Williams and sophomore reserve center Sa’Myah Smith, who scored 16 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.

But Mulkey was disappointed with the rest of the team. While she didn’t want to point a finger at individuals, returning starters Reese and Johnson played with no fire while transfers Hailey Van Lith (Louisville) and Annesah Morrow (DePaul) struggled trying to fit in the flow of the game at both ends of the floor.

After a 7-0 run late in the second quarter, Colorado led the last 23½ minutes of the game. It extended its 38-32 halftime lead to 63-51 at the end of the third and built a 22-point margin at 77-55 with 6:08 left to play.

In short, Colorado looked like a veteran team with 88 percent of returning scoring from last season’s Sweet 16 team. It played confident and smooth.

LSU, with Van Lith, Morrow and Williams joining Reese and Johnson in the starting lineup, appeared disjointed and unsure.

The Buffs quickly learned in the first quarter to surround Reese with their defense and Sherrod began continuously beating LSU’s defenders to the basket on the offensive end.

It began a game-long advantage of Colorado finishing drives and making 18 of 28 layups. LSU repeatedly misfired from point-blank range and made 12 of 24 layups.

The fact Colorado outshot LSU from the field 53.2 to 43.9 percent can be credited to the Buffs’ slicing and dicing Princeton-style offense. Colorado scored 33 field goals on 24 assists, a testament to an experienced team knowing how to play together.

As for LSU, Mulkey promised her ultra-talented team will improve, starting with Thursday night’s home opener vs. Queens University of Charlotte. The Royals, a Division 1 school, lost their season opener 91-44 at Ole Miss on Monday.

“I can’t just flip the switch and have all of us on the same page this early in the season,” said Mulkey, who lost a season-opener for just the third time in her 24 years as a head coach. “But I can tell you, it will happen for us. The talent is there. I just don’t know when it will happen that we start playing like that and we’re smoother.

“When we get to practice Wednesday and we pull up the (game) film, it won’t be a fun film session. As we say, it’ll be `a come to Jesus moment.’”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com