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Women’s Basketball Honors Seniors & Kay Yow On Sunday Against Georgia

by Judy Willson | Assoc. Communications Director
Make Donation - Kay Yow Challenge Game Notes - Feb. 23, 2020 - Georgia +0
Women’s Basketball Honors Seniors & Kay Yow On Sunday Against Georgia

BATON ROUGE – The LSU women’s basketball team will hold its annual Play4Kay game and honor the Tigers’ four seniors on Sunday, February 23 at 2 p.m. CT against Georgia at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU is 18-7 overall and 8-5 for sixth place in SEC play. Georgia is 14-12 on the season and 5-8 in SEC action.

Seniors LaToya Ashman, Mercedes Brooks, Ayana Mitchell and Jaelyn Richard-Harris, along with manager Ahmonya Edwards, will be honored during pregame ceremonies at approximately 1:45 p.m.

At halftime, female cancer survivors will be recognized as a part of LSU’s Play4Kay ceremonies. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game. Cancer fighters and survivors get in free to the game.

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 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.

Lyn Rollins and Garrett Walvoord will call the game on Sunday 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 No. 1 South Carolina on the road on February 20, 63-48.  The Tigers held South Carolina to 20 points below its season scoring average. Junior Jailin Cherry tied her season-high with 13 points to lead LSU. She also led the squad with five rebounds, while redshirt junior Faustine Aifuwa scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.

Junior Khayla Pointer eads the squad from the point with 15.1 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 58.

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 48.5 field goal percentage to go along with 8.1 rebounds per game and 43 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 (166-113) and 12th overall (238-139). In 26 seasons as a student-athlete, graduate assistant and collegiate coach, Fargas is 642-215.

The Opponent – Georgia

Georgia has won 2 of its last 3 games after snapping a four-game losing streak. Gabby Connally leads the team with 12.1 points per game and 94 assists. Jenna Staiti leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and 41 blocks and is second with 10.3 points per game.

Head coach Joni Taylor is in her fifth year as the head coach at Georgia. Georgia leads the series 26-21.

Up Next

The Tigers will finish the home regular season on Thursday, February 27, hosting Vanderbilt in the PMAC at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus.

Fans can purchase tickets 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.