LEXINGTON, Ky. — After winning three of their last four games by an average of 22 points, the 24th-ranked Lady Tiger basketball team takes a two-game winning streak on the road to face SEC rival Kentucky on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT.
Junior Aiysha Smith paced the Lady Tigers (10-6, 3-2 SEC) last week with 36 points and 27 rebounds in wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss. The 31-point victory at Ole Miss was the largest SEC road win for LSU since 1985.
Kentucky (8-10, 1-5 SEC) has lost four straight, including a 29-point loss at nationally ranked South Carolina. LSU holds a 15-7 all-time advantage over the Lady Wildcats and is 5-3 in games in Lexington. The Lady Tigers have defeated Kentucky in three straight meetings, including a pair of contests last season.
“Until the Arkansas game, we had been playing as good as we have played all season,” said LSU head coach Sue Gunter. “It was good for us to come away with a win against Arkansas on Sunday even though we didn’t play our best, but we can’t play poorly and expect to come away with a win against Kentucky.”
“The rivalry with Kentucky has been strong over the last few years,” Gunter continued. “We have played each other five times in the last three years and we know each other well. They always get up for this game and we know that we will have to play good basketball to come out of Lexington with a victory.”
Smith recorded a pair of double-doubles last week, including a career-high 17 rebounds against Arkansas, the most rebounds pulled down by a Lady Tiger in one game since 1998. The consecutive double-doubles were the first at LSU in three years.
The team’s leading rebounder and second leading scorer, Smith averages 15 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. She has scored in double-figures in every game she has played at LSU, running the current streak to 16 games.
Sophomore Temeka Johnson has also produced well over the past few games. Against Ole Miss she broke the LSU single-game assist mark, dishing out 15 assists, the fourth most in the nation this season. This feat came just one week after she had tied the 25-year-old record of 14 assists against Florida. Although she failed to record an assist against Arkansas, she did score a career-high 17 points despite sitting out most of the first half in foul trouble.
The Lady Tigers return home for Pack the PMAC VI on Sunday against nationally ranked Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. Thousands of free tickets are available at all Baton Rouge area McDonald’s locations, as well as Winn Dixie stores, both Tiger Mania locations and Levis Mitsubishi. Fans can also download a printable copy of a ticket from the LSU website www.LSUsports.net.
Levis Mitsubishi has once again donated a car for the Flying Frenzy contest at halftime. In addition, LSU students will have an opportunity to win $500 just by showing up and registering their name in a drawing. One lucky LSU student is guaranteed to leave with $500.
Other giveaways include great prizes such as televisions, DVD players, home surround sound systems, satellite systems with installation and gift certificates from Tiger Mania and Winn Dixie.