BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s basketball team made its first appearance in the Associated Press top 10 in three years on Monday as the Lady Tigers leaped five spots to No. 7 in the nation after its win over 20th-ranked Mississippi State on Sunday.
The No. 7 ranking is the highest for the Lady Tigers since Jan. 15, 1984 when LSU was ranked No. 7 in the AP poll. It also marks LSU’s first top 10 ranking since being finishing the 1997 ranked No. 9 in the poll.
Currently, LSU is 16-3 overall and the Lady Tigers are tied for first in the Southeastern Conference with Georgia at 6-1 in league play.
“I thought we would get in the top 10,” LSU coach Sue Gunter said. “I thought we’d be No. 9 or No. 10, but to go to No. 7, that surprised me. It also pleased me. I think one of the things that pleased me about as much as our ranking is that Mississippi State didn’t drop.
“I’m pleased, but not overwhelmed. There’s just too much left on our schedule. I’m pleased with the recognition because the kids have earned it.”
LSU’s win over Mississippi State on Sunday ran the Lady Tigers’ SEC road winning streak to a school-record four straight. It also improved the Lady Tigers to 6-1 in league play, which matches the best SEC start in school history. The 1996-97 team won six of its first seven SEC games. In addition, the Lady Tigers have won five consecutive SEC games, the longest streak since the 1982-83 team won a school-record seven league games.
LSU returns to action on Tuesday when the Lady Tigers play host to winless Centenary (0-19) at 7 p.m. at the Maravich Assembly Center.