BATON ROUGE — LSU All-American guard Allison Hightower claimed four awards as the Lady Tiger basketball team put the finishing touches on a 12th straight season of reaching the NCAA tournament with its annual postseason awards banquet on Monday night at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on campus.
The Lady Tigers compiled a 21-10 overall record and a 9-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play to take third in the final league standings. LSU finished the season ranked 25th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll after nearly upsetting sixth-ranked Duke on its home floor in the NCAA tournament second round.
Hightower, a two-time State Farm Coaches’ Honorable Mention All-American, took home the Latasha Dorsey Defensive Player award and the Joyce Walker Outstanding Perimeter Player award named for LSU’s all-time leading scorer. It represented the second straight season the Arlington, Texas, native received both honors.
Hightower also was the recipient of the Arete award, which goes to the most outstanding student-athlete in the weight room. The LSU coaching staff established a new award this season, the Allison Hightower Outstanding Practice Player. The award will forever go to the player that demonstrates the best work ethic and effort on a daily basis in practice in Hightower’s name.
The Connecticut Sun chose Hightower with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft. The senior was LSU’s most valuable player for the second straight year as she ranked second in the SEC in scoring with an 18.2 average. Hightower concluded her career as the 13th all-time leading scorer in school history.
Andrea Kelly, despite sitting out the season due to a foot injury, was the recipient of the Sue Gunter Courage award, the Kisha James Outstanding Teammate honor and the Cornelia Gayden Outstanding Attitude award. Kelly traveled with the team all season and was a leader on and off the floor.
Junior guard Katherine Graham, one of the SEC’s most improved players, won the Temeka Johnson Floor General award. Graham averaged 8.4 points and 5.7 rebounds on the season and she posted 10.1 points, a team-high 6.7 rebounds and 49 assists in the final 10 games of the year since her triple-double against Ole Miss on Feb. 7.
LaSondra Barrett, a second-team All-SEC selection, claimed two honors, including the Maree Jackson Outstanding Post Player and the Miriam Segar Outstanding Student. The Miriam Segar Outstanding Student award recognizes the most outstanding Lady Tiger in the classroom. Barrett averaged 12.8 points and a team-best 6.6 boards per game. She led in the SEC in free throw percentage with a 84.4 percent mark.
The other academic honor, the Most Improved Student of the Year award, went to sophomore forward Swayze Black. Two players were recognized with the Keia Howell Most Improved Player of the Year award – sophomore guard Destini Hughes and sophomore forward Courtney Jones. Both were outstanding late in the season in guiding LSU back to the NCAA tournament.
Hughes emerged as the Lady Tigers’ starting point guard and Jones earned a spot in the lineup. Jones reached double-figures in both NCAA tournament games with 10 and 11 points, respectively against Hartford and Duke. The 6-foot-2 forward poured in a career-high 22 points versus Arkansas in a win on Feb. 25 in Baton Rouge.
The Madeline Doucet Alumni of the Year award went to Andrea Williams Cojoe, who played for the Lady Tigers from 1994-97. LSU Associate Athletic Director Eddie Nunez was recognized with the Lady Tiger Pillar of Achievement award for his outstanding leadership in the construction of the new LSU Basketball Practice Facility.
Associate Vice Chancellor/Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent and Joe Carvalhido of the Tiger Athletic Foundation were each awarded with the DD Gilbert Award for their commitment and efforts to the program.
The evening concluded with remarks from LSU head coach Van Chancellor and Hightower, who received a standing ovation to the crowd in attendance. Hightower reports Friday to Connecticut for WNBA training camp.