by Scott Dean
LSU Sports Information
(1/6/00)
The LSU women’s basketball team played without it for eight games. That is how many games the Lady Tigers played this year without their full 10-woman squad. On one occasion, they dressed out just seven.
But after eight games of mixing-and-matching their line up just to compete, the injuries were over. Just in time to face sixth-ranked Purdue in Conseco Fieldhouse (home of the Indiana Pacers) in Indianapolis.
“The number one thing it did for us was take the pressure off us. It gave us confidence to know that April Brown and DeTrina White were back and would be able to come in and give us a big play,” said LSU coach Sue Gunter. “Other than that, it really helped in the fatigue factor to have more than seven players.”
It took all of one half for LSU to gel. After trailing by as many as 16 points, the Lady Tigers hit the stride that took them to the Elite Eight last season. Since that point, LSU has been rolling.
The Lady Tigers erased the deficit against Purdue to score their first win over a ranked team on the year. In LSU’s final three non-conference games before heading into the Southeastern Conference season, the Lady Tigers went 3-0 with an average victory of 44.7 points.
“At halftime against Purdue, we just talked about what could do and since then we have been able to a number of things,” said Gunter. “Everyone now knows they are going to play which has given us a really good substitution pattern. We have also been able to be more versatile and press a lot. That is something we have to do because of our lack of size.”
Keying the run is LSU’s depth as Gunter uses a nine-player rotation. This coming from a team that struggled to score off the bench a year ago.
In fact, two of the Lady Tigers top five scorers come off the bench and seven players average at least seven points per game. That balanced offense allows Gunter to use a variety of lineups to better match up with their opponents.
“Our perimeter game is much better than it has been in the past. The biggest addition has been the twins,” said Gunter of freshmen Doneeka and Roneeka Hodges. “Coming off the bench this year, we just have players that can produce offensively. Doneeka, Kisha James and Ke-Ke Tardy can all put the ball in the hole. Last year, it was more of a situation where players off the bench would give us a defensive lift.”
The LSU Lady Tigers battled through a difficult non-conference schedule to bolt out to a 9-3 start before the beginning of league play. Now the Lady Tigers will be tested each week as seven of the teams in the conference are ranked in the top 25.
“You have to look at every game as a one game schedule,” said Gunter of the rugged SEC. “Tennessee is a big game, but not because it is Tennessee. That game counts as much as our game against Mississippi State or Arkansas. Each game is just a part of the 14 game schedule.”
But this is not a team lacking in big-game experience. Four starters returned from last season’s team that handed SEC Champion Georgia its only loss of the year. Three starters remain from the squad that upset No. 1 Tennessee in Baton Rouge two seasons ago. And the Lady Tigers have the third-best record in the conference over the past two years.
It is on the shoulders of the seniors that LSU’s success rests. Marie Ferdinand, a first-team All-SEC performer last season, leads the team, averaging 20 points and six rebounds per game.
“We have three seniors that have been through the SEC before. If you look at their record, it is good. They know what to expect and will be able to provide leadership to the young players. Senior leadership is definitely one of our strengths,” said Gunter.
“Marie is hard to describe. Everyone will key on her so she will have to realize that she can’t win games by herself. She is going to have to play smart and within herself.”
Fellow seniors April Brown and Angelia Crockett are integral parts of the Lady Tigers success. Brown is third on the team in scoring while Crockett runs the offense as the point guard and is the defensive stopper.
“April is our most solid player. She is the quiet leader that does the little things to help us win. She’ll set the screen to get someone open or make a big steal when we need one.
“Angie is our top defensive player. To add to that, she has become a smart player that plays the point very intelligently.”
The seniors will lead LSU where it wants to go, but the Lady Tigers must continue to play as a team and avoid the injuries that plagued them early in the season. If that happens, there is no limit on where the Lady Tigers might end up. That could include a trip to St. Louis. (Ed. Note: The Women’s Final Four is in St. Louis.)