BATON ROUGE — The ninth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team plays host to Arkansas on Thursday at 7 p.m. in its Southeastern Conference home opener in the Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (10-4, 1-1 SEC) is coming off a 70-63 win at No. 17 Mississippi State on Sunday. Arkansas (9-5, 0-2) fell to No. 2 Tennessee, 76-61, on Sunday.
“Arkansas is a good team that will come in here hungry,” said LSU coach Sue Gunter. “They don’t have an SEC win yet, but they have played two very tough teams. They are always a tough match for us.”
The game will be televised by tape delay on the Pelican Sports Network and can be seen in Baton Rouge on cable channel 18 on Friday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The game can be heard on the radio in Baton Rouge on WTGE 107.3-FM or on the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
The Lady Tigers own an 8-7 record all time against the LadyBacks, which includes wins in seven of the last nine. All 15 games in the series have come since 1992 when Arkansas joined the SEC. LSU has won each of the past four meetings in Baton Rouge. The LadyBacks had won three straight before the LSU run.
“Baton Rouge is a place that Arkansas feels like they can come in and steal a road victory,” Gunter said. “They have had some success here in the past and always come here prepared to battle.”
Arkansas is one of three conference opponents LSU will face twice this season, Tennessee and Mississippi State being the other two. The Lady Tigers and LadyBacks have met at least twice every year since 1996.
LSU is expected to start Marie Ferdinand (20.6 ppg, 3.1 apg), a 5-9 senior, and 5-11 senior Angelia Crockett (2.3 ppg, 3.2 apg) at the guards, 5-11 senior April Brown (10.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and 6-1 sophomore Ke-Ke Tardy (7.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg) at the forwards, and 5-11 junior DeTrina White (9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg) at center. Tardy is starting in place of an injured Roneeka Hodges, who is out with a foot injury.
Arkansas will counter with a three guard line-up, led by 5-8 senior Wendi Willits (13.7 ppg, 2.1 apg) She is joined in the back court by 5-8 sophomore Dana Cherry (10.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and 5-7 junior Amy Wright (6.6 ppg, 5.9 apg). Lonniya Bragg, a 5-11 senior (13.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Shameka Christon, a 6-1 freshman, (7.4, ppg, 3.1 rpg) make up the front court.
Last season, LSU dropped its conference home opener to No. 2 Tennessee. However, the Lady Tigers have had recent success in SEC home openers lately as they won four straight before last season.