BATON ROUGE – The LSU women’s basketball team continues its two-game road swing at No. 1 South Carolina on Thursday, February 20. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the SEC Network Plus.
LSU is 18-6 overall and 8-4 in SEC play for a four-way tie of third place in the league. South Carolina is 25-1 on the season and 12-0 in SEC action.
LSU has five Top-25 wins on the season. It is the most wins against ranked teams for the Tigers since the 2012-13 season when LSU went 6-6 against Top-25 teams.
Burch Antley and Khadijah Sessions will call the game on Thursday for the SEC Network Plus. Fans can also watch the game on the ESPN app. Patrick Wright will 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.
LSU Update
LSU, currently receiving votes in the Associated Press and USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls, lost to Auburn on the road on February 16, 65-60. Redshirt junior Faustine Aifuwa recorded the ninth double-double of her career, tying her career-high with 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Junior Khayla Pointer contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Pointer is currently fourth in the SEC in minutes played at 32.9 per game. The move up the chart is due to three consecutive games of 40 minutes of action during LSU’s recent homestand. Pointer leads the squad from the point with 15.5 points and 4.6 assists per game. She has one of the best free throw shooting percentages on the squad at 70.9 and the most steals with 57.
Aifuwa is having a solid season in the paint for LSU. Aifuwa is second on the team among active players with 10.5 points per game. She is sporting a 49.3 field goal percentage to go along with 8.3 rebounds per game and 40 blocked shots.
LSU continues its solid play on defense, having held opponents to 50 points or under five times and 15 opponents at 60 or under so far this season and winning the battle of the boards in 21 games played.
With the loss of Mitchell, LSU head coach Nikki Fargas is counting on her bench to step up and fill the void with several players taking on different roles. Junior Awa Trasi moved into the starting slot and stretches LSU’s offense with her long-range shooting. Several players, including junior Rakell Spencer and freshman Tiara Young, come off the bench to provide a defensive spark against opponents’ top player.
Fargas is in her ninth season at LSU (166-112) and 12th overall (238-138). In 26 seasons as a student-athlete, graduate assistant and collegiate coach, Fargas is 642-214.
The Opponent – South Carolina
South Carolina is currently the No. 1 team in the nation. Four players are averaging double-digit scoring. All four are have started all 26 games this season. Freshman Aliyah Boston leads the way with 13.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Senior Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and freshman Zia Cooke average 12.6 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Senior Tyasha Harris is averaging 12.1 points per game and has dished out 141 assists.
Head coach Dawn Staley is 298-98 in her 12th season at South Carolina. She is in her 20th season overall (470-178) and currently serviing as the head coach of Team USA.
LSU leads the series 22-13.
Up Next
The Tigers will be at home on Sunday, February 23, hosting Georgia in the PMAC at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus. It will be the annual Play4Kay game and LSU will be honoring its four seniors – Ayana Mitchell, Jaelyn Richard-Harris, Mercedes Brooks and LaToya Ashman – during pregame ceremonies.
Fans can purchase tickets for the two remaining home games against the Bulldogs and Vanderbilt 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.
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.
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.