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Lady Tigers Begin 2002-03 Quest in Exhibition

by LSUsports.net (@LSUsports)
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Lady Tigers Begin 2002-03 Quest in Exhibition

BATON ROUGE — LSU’s third-ranked Lady Tigers basketball team opens the 2002-03 season Friday when they host the Basketball Travelers in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. CST in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU enters the game with the highest national ranking since 1977-78 and was also picked by the media to finish second in the Southeastern Conference.

“We hope to see some good things in this game,” LSU head coach Sue Gunter said. “Exhibition games give us a good chance to see what our players can do against someone else in a game-like situation.”

Gunter, who enters her 21st season as head coach of the Lady Tigers, returns nine players from last year’s team, but only six finished the season healthy. Guard Temeka Johnson, center Aiysha Smith, guard Doneeka Hodges, forward Roneeka Hodges, forward Ke-Ke Tardy and Patty Hanten are all back from last season. Add to those six a healthy DeTrina White, who missed last year with injuries, and Kisha James, Wendlyn Jones and Tillie Willis who all missed last season with knee injuries.

Freshmen Seimone Augustus and Treynell Clavelle and sophomore Florence Williams will all make their debut with the Lady Tigers on Friday night.

Augustus, a Baton Rouge native, was the National High School Player of the Year in 2002, while Williams had to sit out last season as a partical qualifier.

After Friday’s game, the Lady Tigers will finish the exhibition schedule by hosting the Houston Jaguars on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the PMAC.