UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — LSU’s 12th-ranked Lady Tigers basketball team, coming off a loss at Oregon on Sunday, looks to get back on track when they visit ninth-ranked Penn State Friday at 6 p.m. CST in the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Tigers (1-1) defeated Villanova and fell to host Oregon last weekend in the Women’s Sports Foundation Classic in Eugene. Sophomore Seimone Augustus led the team with 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Senior guards Doneeka Hodges (13.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and Temeka Johnson (10.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.5 apg) also had solid games in the tournament.
The Lady Lions open the season against LSU, but won their lone exhibition game last week, 94-53, against Slovenia. All-America guard Kelly Mazzante scored 29 points to lead the way, while Amanda Brown added 18 points off the bench.
The game features to the winningest coaches in women’s basketball with LSU head coach Sue Gunter and PSU head coach Rene Portland combining for over 1,300 career victories. Gunter is 18 shy of 700 in her 40th year as head coach, while Portland has 621 entering her 28th season as a head coach.
This game will be the fifth meeting between the two schools with the series tied at 2-2. LSU won last year’s meeting 80-63 on Jan. 4 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. This will be the first time the two schools will meet in Happy Valley.
Following the game, LSU will hit the road for the fourth and final game of a four-game road swing to open the season at Rice on Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. CST.
NOTE: The remaining part of the LSU Lady Tigers basketball schedule will be heard locally in the Baton Rouge area on WJNH 107.3 FM, including Friday night’s game at Penn State.
PROBABLE STARTERS
LSU (1-1)
G 2 Temeka Johnson 5-3 Sr. 10.5 ppg, 5.5 apg
G 45 Doneeka Hodges 5-9 Sr. 13.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
G 33 Seimone Augustus 6-1 So. 20.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
F 32 Scholanda Hoston 6-1 So. 10.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
F 42 Hanna Biernacka 6-1 Fr. 4.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
PSU (0-0) (Exhibition game stats)
G 23 Jess Strom 5-7 Sr. 4.0 ppg, 9.0 apg
G 33 Tanisha Wright 5-11 Jr. 10.0 ppg, 3.0 apg
G 13 Kelly Mazzante 6-0 Sr. 29.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
C 50 Reicina Russell 6-6 Fr. 8.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg
F 22 Jess Brungo 6-1 Sr. 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg