BATON ROUGE — Less than 48 hours after being upset by Alabama, the LSU women’s basketball team will be back in action as the seventh-ranked Lady Tigers play host to Arkansas in Pack the PMAC IV at the Maravich Assembly Center.
Tipoff for the contest is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised to a national audience by ESPN2. The game will also be broadcast by the LSU Sports Network and can be heard in the Baton Rouge area on 107.3 FM as well as the Internet at www.LSUsports.net.
The game will serve as Pack the PMAC as the LSU women’s basketball team will attempt to break the school’s attendance mark of 7,255 set against Ole Miss in the second Pack the PMAC game in 1998.
“Pack the PMAC has really become an event that this community looks forward to each year,” LSU coach Sue Gunter said. “We joke that with all of the promotions and giveaways we have, that at some point a pretty good basketball game will break out. We’re excited about the game on Saturday and hopefully we can break the attendance record.”
The Lady Tigers enter the contest with an 18-4 overall mark, which includes a 7-2 Southeastern Conference record. The Lady Tigers had their six-game SEC winning streak snapped on Thursday with a 72-68 loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. LSU is 11-1 at home this year.
Arkansas had its five-game winning streak snapped on Thursday as the Lady’Backs dropped an 87-73 decision to Florida in Gainesville. Arkansas enters the game with a 14-8 overall mark and a 4-5 league record.
Saturday’s game will be the second between the teams this year as LSU posted an 82-69 win over the Lady’Backs in Fayetteville on Jan. 13. The win over Arkansas was the 600th of LSU coach Sue Gunter‘s career.
“This is going to be a hard-fought war,” Gunter said. “I expect it to be a bitterly tough game. Arkansas is playing very well right now. Prior to their game at Florida they had won five straight so they are playing with a lot of confidence.
“What we have to realize is that all is not lost with the Alabama game. It’s over with and we can’t do anything about it. We have to learn from that game, realize why we didn’t win and give Alabama credit. We must put that game behind us and get ready for a very good Arkansas team on Saturday.”
In the first meeting between the teams, LSU’s DeTrina White scored a career-high 27 points to go with 12 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. White, a 5-foot-11 sophomore center, currently leads the SEC in three categories – rebounds (9.5), field goal percentage (61.4 pct.) and double-doubles (9). White is coming off a 15-point, 10-rebound game against Alabama.
Joining White in the LSU starting lineup will be 5-11 junior guard Angelia Crockett (4.2 points, 4.1 assists), 5-9 junior guard Marie Ferdinand (17.5 points, 5.8 assists), 5-11 senior forward Katrina Hibbert (14.6 points, 5.5 assists) and 5-11 junior forward April Brown (11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds).
Hibbert, Ferdinand, White and Brown will be in the Lady Tiger lineup for the 53rd consecutive game on Saturday, a streak that dates back to last year’s season-opener.
Arkansas is paced by one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters in 5-8 junior guard Wendi Willits (15.5 points, 2.3 assists). Karyn Karlin, a 6-1 senior forward, is Arkansas’ only other double-figure scorer with 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a contest.