BATON ROUGE – The LSU women’s basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for a three-game homestand to start the second half of SEC play. The Tigers host No. 15 Texas A&M at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, February 2. Sunday is the first of three return games against A&M, Missouri and Tennessee.
LSU is 15-5 overall and 5-3 in SEC play, while the Aggies are 18-3 overall and 6-2 in conference action. The Tigers got out of College Station with a 57-54 win over Texas A&M on January 9, 2020. LSU has the potential to pull off the regular season sweep of Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC. The teams are permanent partners and have played each other twice every season since 2012-13. LSU has yet to get the season sweep in the series. The overall series is tied at 14-14, while LSU holds an 8-4 lead in Baton Rouge.
LSU has three wins against Top 15 opponents this season, beating then-No. 15 Michigan State, 58-56 on November 29, then-No. 10 Texas A&M, 57-54 on January 9 and then-No. 11 Kentucky, 65-59 on January 19.
Sunday’s game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and is available on the ESPN app with Tiffany Greene and Steffi Sorensen calling the action. Fans can also listen to Patrick Wright call the game on the LSU Sports Radio Network. Wright is in his 30th season as the “Voice of the Lady Tigers” and is joined on home broadcasts by Jeff Palermo. Fans can listen on 107.3 FM and audio broadcasts are available online at LSUSports.net/live. Live stats will be available at LSUsports.net.
Sunday is also LSU’s celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Prior to the game, fans are invited to hear from several LSU female administrators about their journeys while working in intercollegiate athletics. The panel begins at 12:30 p.m. in the Legends Club. To RSVP for the panel, fans can click HERE. Fans must have a game ticket to attend the panel.
2020 Kay Yow Challenge (Feb. 1-29)
The LSU women’s basketball, men’s basketball and gymnastics teams are uniting with the Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center to raise $100,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The fundraising program will be part of the annual Play4Kay campaign, the largest fundraising initiative of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Funds will be raised through a pledge program. Both basketball teams are asking fans to make a pledge for every free throw made at each of their games in the month of February. Gymnastics fans can make a pledge for every team event with a score of 49.00 or higher during their cancer awareness meets on January 17 vs. Auburn and February 16 vs. Kentucky. Fans can also make as a flat donation through the same link.
Fans can go to LSUsports.net/KayYowChallenge to pledge a donation. When the $100,000 goal is reached, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund will forward a $150,000 grant to the Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. The monies raised will be returned to the Baton Rouge community to benefit the underserved population with cancer services in Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes.
The vision of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund is to be the premier non-profit organization dedicated to supporting innovative ways of fighting ALL cancers affecting women and providing support through giving strength, courage, and hope.
LSU Update
LSU, currently receiving votes in the Associated Press and USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls, beat Florida on the road on Thursday, 77-68. Junior Khayla Pointer led the way with 24 points, while redshirt junior Faustine Aifuwa grabbed 11 rebounds. Senior Jaelyn Richard-Harris pumped in 14 points, including a perfect 4-4 from three-point range. Juniors Jailin Cherry and Awa Trasi each contributed 10 points to the cause.
Redshirt senior Ayana Mitchell was under the weather on Thursday and had a rare low shooting night. She continues to be strong shooting from the field with her overall percentage ranking second in the nation at 68.7 percent. The NCAA single season field goal percentage record is 72.4 percent by Myndee Kay Larsen of Southern Utah in 1997-98.
Mitchell made a quick trip home on January 24 to be inducted into the Salem High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020. The previous Friday, Mitchell was named a Top 30 candidate for the 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award, the only player in the SEC on the list.
Mitchell is on track to become only the fourth LSU player to reach the 1,000 points-1,000 rebounds career marks – currently at 1,275 points and 899 rebounds. She is currently 22nd on the LSU all-time scoring list and needs 19 points to pass Theresa Plaisance (2010-14; 1,293) in 21st place. Mitchell is averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Pointer leads the squad from the point with 15.0 points and 4.5 assists per game. She has the best free throw shooting percentage on the squad at 71.1 and the most steals with 49.
Aifuwa is having a solid season in the paint for LSU. Aifuwa is third on the team with 9.4 points per game. She is sporting a 49.1 field goal percentage to go along with 7.6 rebounds per game and 31 blocked shots.
LSU continues its solid play on defense, having held opponents to 50 points or under five times and 13 opponents at 60 or under so far this season and winning the battle of the boards in 17 games played. The Tigers are 11th in the nation in free throw attempts with 452 and 52nd in the nation in scoring defense, only giving up 57.9 points per game.
Bench play continues to be a strength as the season has progressed. The LSU bench has outscored opponents 384-283 over the first 20 games of the season.
LSU head coach Nikki Fargas is in her ninth season at LSU (163-111) and 12th overall (235-137). In 26 seasons as a student-athlete, graduate assistant and collegiate coach, Fargas is 639-213.
The Opponent – No. 15 Texas A&M
Texas A&M is tied for fourth place in the SEC going into Sunday’s game. The Aggies have gotten a taste of life without Chennedy Carter over the past couple of games since the junior guard left the last meeting against LSU with an ankle injury. Outside of Carter’s 20.6 points per game, Ciera Johnson and Kayla Wells are leading the team with 13.5 and 13.1 points per game, respectively, while N’dea Jones is averaging 11.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Head coach Gary Blair has been the head coach of the Aggies since 2003 and earned his 800th collegiate coaching win earlier in the season.
The series is tied, 14-14.
Up Next
The Tigers get their second midweek bye of the season on Thursday and return to the PMAC on Monday, February 10 to face Missouri for Pack the PMAC Night. Fans can purchase tickets for all games at LSUtix.net.
Follow Along on Social Media
Follow updates on LSU women’s basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @LSUwbkb or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lsuwbkb.
Geaux Clear at the PMAC
Fans are reminded that the Geaux Clear Policy will be in effect for all LSU women’s basketball home games. Diaper bags must be clear and no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″. Backpacks, including drawstring/synch bags are strictly prohibited.
Fans with medically-necessary items will be allowed to enter the PMAC following a more thorough search at the designated inspection points. The lower level inspection will take place at the southeast corner entrance near the elevator and upper level inspection is available at the South concourse near the Ticket Office.
For other updates, information is available on LSUSports.net.