BATON ROUGE, La. — The LSU women’s basketball team will host LeMoyne-Owen in an exhibition game on Sunday at 2 p.m., at the Maravich Center on campus.
Admission for the exhibition game is free, and fans will have a chance to pick up 2016-17 posters and schedule cards at the entrances. Fans are also reminded of LSU’s “Geaux Clear” policy that is in effect at all athletic venues. The policy allows for only clear tote bags smaller than 12” x 6” x 12” or one-gallon plastic freezer bags to be permitted in the PMAC and other venues on the LSU campus this year. Bags must be clear and transparent and cannot be tinted, textured or patterned. For full details on the policy, please visit www.LSUSports.net/GeauxClear.
The LSU Sports Radio Network will carry the game on its flagship station Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge. The radio broadcast featuring Patrick Wright, the voice of the Lady Tigers, also will be available for free at www.LSUsports.net/live. In addition, the game will be carried online only through the digital platform of SEC Network Plus, and is available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
LeMoyne-Owen is a Division II school in Memphis, Tenn., that participates in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Magicians were 7-19 overall; 5-12 in the SIAC, in 2015-16.
The Lady Tigers return seniors Alexis Hyder, Jasmine Rhodes and Rina Hill to the lineup. Hyder led the squad in scoring and rebounding with 12.2 points and 7.9 rebounds a game. She was named an honorable mention pick to the Associated Press All-SEC team and was the 2016 LSWA Newcomer of the Year. Hill, the only Lady Tiger to start all 31 games, averaged 8.4 points and 2.1 assists per game. Rhodes started 14 of 31 meetings and averaged 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds a game.
At guard, LSU also returns its biggest outside shooting threat in junior Jenna Deemer as well as sophomore Shanice Norton, who started 22 games in her rookie season and averaged 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds a game. Deemer, who hit 32 of LSU’s 51 treys, was sidelined late in the season with an illness. She averaged 9.5 points per contest.
Junior Raigyne Moncrief, a preseason All-SEC pick last year, and freshman Ayana Mitchell return from injuries that sidelined both talented players last season. Moncrief missed all but three games with a knee injury that required surgery, and Mitchell had back surgery that forced her to also miss all but three games in 2015-16.
In addition, the roster includes transfers Chloe Jackson (NC State) and Tatum Neubert (Oregon) as well as freshmen Jaelyn Richard-Harris, Yasmine Bidikuindila, Faustine Aifuwa and Stephanie Self. Neubert will miss the start of the season after suffering a knee injury over the summer, and Aifuwa is being evaluated for an injury she sustained last weekend.
“Time is of the essence and the sense of urgency is there as we have our exhibition this weekend,” said head coach Nikki Fargas. “I am excited that we have more players on the roster to compete to start the season. We have players who are hungry to get back on the court. The young ladies who sat out last year (Moncrief, Mitchell, Jackson, Neubert), I know that they are going to come in and really be a spark for us.”
“What will be important for us this year will be how hard we work, how competitive we are on both ends of the floor and how together we play as a team,” added Fargas.
The Lady Tigers are ready to come out and put the 2015-16 season behind them and will compete with their motto, HUSH, in mind. HUSH, which stands for Hungry, United, Selfless and Heart, is how the team intends to practice and play every day. LSU, after having a tough season due to injuries last year, was picked 11th in the SEC by league coaches on Wednesday, and 12th by members of the media last week.
“I just see that (the polls) as motivation,” said Hill. “What matters is where we finish at the end of the season and I think we can prove a lot of people wrong.”
The Lady Tigers officially open the 2016-17 campaign on the road at Louisiana Tech on Friday, Nov. 11. LSU’s home opener is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13, against Wake Forest. That game will follow the LSU volleyball match against Mississippi State that begins at 1 p.m. Fans who attend the volleyball match will receive a free ticket to the basketball game that evening.
Season tickets are on sale now, and start as low as $50. For more information and to purchase tickets go to LSUtix.net or call the Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 960-8587 or (225) 578-2184. The Athletics Ticket Office, on the first floor of the Athletics Administration Building, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
For all of the latest news and information on Lady Tiger basketball, visit www.LSUsports.net/womensbasketball. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/LSUwbkb, @LSUwbkb and @LSUNikkiFargas on Twitter, @LSUwbkb and @LSUNikkiFargas on Instagram.