BATON ROUGE – The LSU women’s basketball team will continue its stretch of four consecutive games against Top 15 competition as No. 10 Kentucky visits the Maravich Center for a Sunday matinee.
Tipoff is slated for 1:05 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU. The telecast also will be available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbrod will serve as the announcing team.
The LSU Sports Radio Network will carry the game on its flagship station Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge. The broadcast featuring Patrick Wright, the voice of the Lady Tigers, also will be available for Geaux Zone subscribers at www.LSUsports.net/live.
Tickets for Sunday’s game are on-sale at www.LSUtix.net and can be purchased at the Maravich Center Box Office starting as low as $2 for general admission seating. Admission for LSU students and faculty/staff is free with a valid LSU ID. The Maravich Center Box Office opens at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The first 1,000 fans can pick up a LSU tote bag upon arrival.
The Lady Tigers (9-8, 3-2 SEC) secured a 71-69 double overtime victory at No. 15 Mississippi State, while Kentucky (15-3, 4-1 SEC) registered a 62-56 win over Florida.
LSU has won 31 of 43 all-time meetings with Kentucky. As an unranked team, the Lady Tigers have upset a Top 10-ranked Kentucky team three straight times during the Nikki Caldwell era. Two of those three victories have come inside the Maravich Center. Five of the last 10 meetings between the two teams dating back to the 2008-09 season have been decided by five points or less with LSU holding a 3-2 edge in those games.
The Wildcats are fueled by Jennifer O’Neill’s 14.4 points per game off the bench. Makalya Epps and Linnae Harper follow with 13.2 and 10.9 points per game, respectively. Epps and Harper combined for 34 points, 13 rebounds and nine steals during the Florida victory. UK also got a pair of seniors in Bria Goss and Jelleah Sidney back into the lineup against Florida.
“That’s the nature of life in the SEC,” Caldwell said. “It’s like playing in the NCAA Tournament night in and night out. The game plan really isn’t going to change. We’ve talked about how the game is supposed to be played. It’s a team game that requires great discipline and unselfish play. You have to have a passion and a love for this game. We’ve shown we can play that way, and we’ve got to maintain it.”
LSU is sparked by a trio of guards averaging in double digits. DaShawn Harden leads the way with 11.9 points per game followed by Raigyne Moncrief‘s 10.8 and Danielle Ballard‘s 10.7 points per game. Harden has upped her mark to 13.4 points per game in SEC play, good enough for seventh place.
All three are coming off double figure performances. Ballard erupted for 24 points whereas Moncrief equaled her season-high with 18 points during LSU’s win at No. 15 Mississippi State. The 24 points by Ballard was the most scored by a LSU player and tied for third-most by a SEC player in a league game this season.
LSU’s post play has been fueled by Akilah Bethel as of late. The Maryland native has secured 9.6 points per game on 9-of-13 shooting over her last three outings. Bethel notched seven points and equaled a season’s best with four steals during the Mississippi State game.
Sheila Boykin has amassed 7.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The 6.5 rebounds are 15th on the SEC leaderboard, and she has collected 3.3 of her 6.5 rebounds on the offensive end.
Rina Hill has started 13 of LSU’s 17 games from the point guard position. She has dished out 24 assists which are second on the squad.
Jenna Deemer (6.3 PPG), Anne Pedersen (5.4 PPG) and Jasmine Rhodes (2.0 PPG) add depth to the backcourt. Rhodes chipped in three points, two steals and provided strong perimeter defense on the top of LSU’s zone at No. 15 Mississippi State.
Ann Jones returned to action during the Mississippi State game after missing LSU’s last two games due to leg injury. She garnered two points, a rebound and a block over seven minutes of action. Stephanie Amichia has provided 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
For all of the latest news and information on Lady Tiger basketball, visit www.LSUsports.net/womensbasketball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/LSUwbkb, @lsuwbkb and @NikkiCaldwell on Twitter, @LSUwbkb and @LSUNikkiCaldwell on Instagram.