MEMPHIS, Tenn. — LSU squares off with 12th-seeded Kentucky in Thursday’s first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn.
LSU (18-9, 8-6 SEC), seeded fifth, is looking to break out of its SEC Tournament slump. The Lady Tigers have dropped their last five tourney games and have been one-and-done in seven of the past eight tournaments.
“We have had a rough time in the past few years in the tournament,” said LSU coach Sue Gunter. “But those have been different teams. This year’s team has been here before and they know what they have to do to advance.”
The game can be see on College Sports Southeast and can be heard on the radio in the Baton Rouge area on WGTE 107.3-FM and on the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
The two teams have met once already this season with LSU taking an 87-54 victory. The Lady Tigers trailed by as many as 18 in the first half before rallying for the victory.
“We played well in the second half, but Kentucky showed that they can beat us. They came out on fire and really had us up against a wall,” Gunter said of the initial meeting. “We need to start the game better on Thursday and not dig ourselves in a hole.”
Kentucky (6-20, 2-12) enters the game riding a two-game skid as the Lady Wildcats fell to Ole Miss and Mississippi State to end the regular season. LSU snapped a three-game losing streak last time out with an 83-72 victory over South Carolina in Columbia. Marie Ferdinand led the Lady Tigers with an SEC career-best 31 points.
LSU is expected to start 5-9 senior Ferdinand (20.3 ppg, 3.4 apg) and 5-11 senior Angelia Crockett (2.9 ppg, 3.3 apg) at the guards; 6-1 sophomore Ke-Ke Tardy (9.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and 5-11 senior (12.0 ppg, 4.7rpg) April Brown at the forwards and 5-11 junior DeTrina White (9.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) at center.
Kentucky will counter with 6-1 junior LaTonya McDole (12.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and 6-1 freshman Alvine Mendeng (6.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg) at the forwards; 6-4 freshman SeSe Helm (12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) at center; and 5-8 sophomore Rita Adams (9.2 ppg, 3.2 apg) and 5-6 freshman Dasieka Hawthorne (6.0 ppg, 2.6 apg).