WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sixth-seeded LSU faces third-seeded Purdue tonight on the Boilermakers home floor in an attempt to pull the upset and advance to its third straight Sweet 16.
The game can be seen live on ESPN2, marking the second straight nationally televised game for LSU. It can be heard here at www.LSUsports.net or on the radio in Baton Rouge on WGTE 107.3-FM.
The Lady Tigers (20-10) picked up their 20th win of the season in the first round on Friday with their 83-66 win over 11th-seeded Arizona State. Purdue (27-6), the Big Ten champions, advanced with a 75-62 UC-Santa Barbara, which was seeded 14th.The two teams met earlier this season, on Dec. 16 in Indianapolis, with LSU taking a 62-55 victory over then-No. 6 Purdue. The Lady Tigers rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to pick up the win.
“We played that game early in the season and both teams have changed a lot since then,” said LSU coach Sue Gunter. “Our team is a little more healthy than we were in December and they have some players that have stepped up and been playing better lately.
“Both of our teams have been through a conference season since the earlier game. So, we each have a different make up than we did in our first meeting.”
With a win, the Lady Tigers would move into the round of 16 for the third consecutive season, and the for the fourth time in five years. However, LSU has used a home court advantage to move on each of the last two years.The last Lady Tiger victory on the road in the second round came in 1989, against Purdue.
In that game, LSU survived with a 54-53 win to move on.
Sunday’s game will feature an all-American match up as Purdue’s Katie Douglas, a first-team All-American, will go head-to-head with Marie Ferdinand of LSU, a second-team selection. Douglas, also the Big Ten Player of the Year, leads the Boilermakers in scoring at 14.8 ppg while Ferdinand is tops for the Lady Tigers at 20.7 ppg.
“This is a game with two of the premier players in the country,” said Gunter. “I am sure Purdue will try to limit Marie’s chances with the ball, but by the same token, we have to keep the ball out of Douglas’ hands. So it works both ways.”
LSU will also have to contend with 6-4 Camille Cooper on the inside. Cooper, tabbed an all-American by Women’s Basketball Journal, averages 14.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.
“She is definitely a concern for us in the paint,” Gunter said. “It is no secret that we have had trouble rebounding against big teams this year. We’ll have to do a great job inside to keep her contained.”
Senior April Brown and Angelia Crockett will be counted on heavily for LSU in the contest. Brown, the Lady Tigers second-leading scorer at 11.5 ppg, is the top three-point threat for LSU. Crockett, a first-team Defensive All-American, will have the task of trying to contain Douglas.
“April and Crockett will have to play well for us to have a chance,” Gunter said. “They have been critical to our success all season long and they were in the earlier game against Purdue.”