TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Lady Tiger basketball team will close out the regular season on the road at Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum.
LSU stands at 15-9 overall and 8-5 in the Southeastern Conference and can clinch a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament with a win over the Crimson Tide (16-10, 6-7 SEC).
“If we had lost to Mississippi State, it would have put great pressure on us to win in Tuscaloosa and we would have needed help from some other teams to finish in the top four in the SEC,” said LSU head coach Sue Gunter. “Now it remains up to us where we finish in the conference. If we go in there and win, it doesn’t matter what else happens around the league. By winning, we hold our fate in our hands.”
Despite losing another player to a season-ending injury and playing with a roster of only seven, LSU came up with a pair of big wins over No. 9 South Carolina, 72-62, and Mississippi State, 88-77 last week. Freshman Tillie Willis tore her anterior cruciate ligament in practice on Feb. 20 and will not return this season.
“What hurts us the most with so few players is the short turnaround,” said Gunter. “We have just one day to prepare for Alabama before we hit the road and that makes it tough. We will just try to get as rested as we can for Sunday.”
The Lady Tigers are led by SEC and LSWA Player of the Week Aiysha Smith. The junior is averaging 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds a game this season and ranks fourth in the SEC with six double-doubles. She has stepped up her offensive output over the last four games, averaging 20 points, including 23 points at Vanderbilt.
Smith is one of three players averaging in double-figures for LSU. Sophomore Doneeka Hodges is averaging 15.1 points a game, while freshman Scholanda Dorrell is averaging 11.3 points. Sophomore Temeka Johnson leads the SEC in assists per game with 7.7 and ranks fourth nationally.
The Lady Tigers lead the overall series with the Crimson Tide, 19-15, and defeated Alabama, 74-58 in Baton Rouge. However, LSU has struggled to win on the road at Alabama, falling eight straight times. The last time the Lady Tigers defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa was Feb. 8, 1986.
“Tuscaloosa is a tough place for us to play,” said Gunter. “We haven’t won there since 1986 and we have had some great teams go in there and get beat. We’re just going to just give it another try.”
LSU will travel to Nashville, Tenn., for the SEC Tournament, which begins on Feb. 28. If the Lady Tigers finish in the top four, they will earn a first-round bye and play on Friday. If they finish out of the top four, they will begin play on Thursday.