BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s basketball team, ranked 12th nationally, looks to rebound from a Sunday loss to Auburn when it faces Southeastern Conference foe Alabama this Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The game can be heard on the radio on the LSU Sports Network, which is WGTE 107.3-FM in Baton Rouge. It can also be heard via the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU (15-6, 5-3 SEC) is looking to avoid back-to-back home losses for the first time since January 1996 when it dropped consecutive games to Florida and Arkansas.
“Something you have to do in this league is win at home,” said LSU coach Sue Gunter. “We have done very well at that in the past couple of years but we have slipped up a couple of times this year. If we want to stay near the top of the SEC, we have to protect our home court.”
Alabama enters the game off a 97-75 home loss to then-No. 3 Tennessee. The Crimson Tide have won two of their last three on the road, including a win over No. 21 Mississippi State.
“Alabama is a proven road team that has the capability to beat anyone on a given day,” Gunter said. “They have beaten Auburn this year, who just beat us, so they are definitely a team you have to be ready for.”
Leading LSU into battle is all-America candidate Marie Ferdinand, who has been on fire for LSU in the past four games. In that span she is averaging 21.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.8 steals while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the line.
“Marie has been outstanding lately. There is not another player in the country who is playing better than she is right now,” said Gunter of the senior.
Expected to start at the guard positions with Ferdinand (20.9 ppg, 3.1 apg), a 5-9 senior, is 5-9 freshman Doneeka Hodges (7.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and 5-11 senior Angelia Crockett (3.0 ppg, 3.6 apg). In the front court it will be 5-11 senior April Brown (11.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and 6-1 sophomore Ke-Ke Tardy (9.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Alabama will counter with 5-11 sophomore Shun Hunter (7.3 ppg, 5.2 apg) and 6-1 senior Joni Crenshaw (8.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) at forward; 6-2 junior LaNisha Cartwell (11.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg) at center; and 5-8 senior Nicole Carruth (7.8 ppg, 1.1 apg) and 5-9 junior Shondra Johnson (14.1 ppg, 5.7 apg) at the guards.
LSU and Alabama have met 33 times with LSU holding onto a slight 18-15 (.546) in the series. LSU has played Alabama more times than any other team in history. Alabama has taken 11 of the past 13 meetings, including a 72-68 upset win last season in Tuscaloosa.