BATON ROUGE — Former LSU Lady Tigers star Seimone Augustus and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx defeated for LSU stars Doneeka Hodges-Lewis and Temeka Johnson’s Los Angeles Sparks, 63-55, in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon in the <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Pete Maravich Assembly Center.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Augustus scored eight points in 21 minutes, while 2007 first-round draft pick Lindsey Harding from Duke led the way with 11 points.
Hodges-Lewis scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in 23 minutes for the Sparks in the losing effort. Johnson did not play due to a knee injury. Former Mississippi State star LaToya Thomas led Los Angeles with a game-high 12 points.
All three former LSU players received a standing ovation from the 4,269 paid fans during pre-game introductions.
Both teams begin the regular season over the next two weeks with Minnesota opening at Indiana on Saturday and the Sparks opening at Chicago on May 22.
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx
May 13, 2007
LOS ANGELES SPARKS HEAD COACH MICHAEL COOPER QUOTES
On his thoughts on the game …
“I thought scoring-wise we scored 27 in the second half. They might have scored 26. Overall I think it was a good game for the fans. The fans really enjoyed it, and that just goes to show you how women’s basketball is on the rise, not only on the collegiate level down here but also around the world.”
On the positives of his team’s performance …
“I like the fact that we executed as much as we could. I thought Minnesota threw a lot of stuff at us that made us think on the move. In order to be a championship team you have to do those types of things. We didn’t rebound as well as I thought we should have, and I think that was the reason we got ourselves in the hole. But overall I think it was a well-played game by both teams. Again, it was for the fans.”
MINNESOTA LYNX HEAD COACH DON ZIERDEN QUOTES
On his thoughts on the game …
“We got what we wanted because we wanted to play everybody double-figure minutes. One player got about nine and a half minutes otherwise everybody on the team got double-figure minutes because we have to get ready to make cuts this week. I think both teams are probably pretty happy with what they saw today.”
On his thoughts on the atmosphere in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center …
“We were just talking about it in the coaches room that we were very appreciative of how many fans came out, and we were very appreciative that you can tell they are knowledgeable basketball fans. Both ways for L.A. and Minnesota, when people made good plays the fans recognized and acknowledged it. When the referees made bad calls ? only a few times did they make bad calls ? but the fans, you could see it by their moans and groans, a very knowledgeable basketball crowd here. I’m very envious of the men’s and women’s coaches here because they have a good supporting group.”
SEIMONE AUGUSTUS QUOTES
On the reaction the crowd gave her during her introduction…
“It is definitely fun to get a response like that when you come home. It’s good to know the fans are still following us and didn’t lose track of us. They continue to watch us as we progress in the WNBA. Tiger fans are different from other schools. Outside of Tennessee, most college fans fall off. This definitely shows the level of support we have and where the program is headed.”
On if she would want to play another game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center…
“Most definitely. Anytime I can come back home to get some food and play basketball it is great. Minnesota has some nice food, but nothing like what we have here.”
On how the level of play in the WNBA is different from college…
“It is much tougher now. You can never take a day off in this league. This year will be tougher for us because we have a younger team and there are still some cuts to be made. We still don’t know the final roster. Whatever it is, I know what my job is and hopefully we can put the right components together to win a lot of games.”
On how the Lynx are different from last year…
“This team is definitely different from last year. There is a lot more enthusiasm and we work a little bit harder than we did last year. So far in preseason, we have shown that we have improved. Hopefully we can carry that over into the regular season.”
TEMEKA JOHNSON QUOTES
On being back at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center…
“We were happy to come back in front of the same crowd again. We didn’t set any expectations for this game, we were just happy that people came out on Mother’s Day to support us.”
On not being able to play today…
“Anytime I can’t play it is a disappointment. Whether it is here, in a regular season game or at practice, I always want to play. I don’t have an exact date on when I will be able to return but hopefully sooner than later.”
DONEEKA HODGES-LEWIS QUOTES
On the crowd giving her a standing ovation…
“That was great. To hear the crowd cheer for us like that it felt like old times.”