LSU Gold

#3 Akilah Bethel Season 2023-24

Position
Forward
Height
6'0
Class
Senior
Hometown
Baltimore, Md.
Previous School
West Virginia
High School
Academy of Holy Cross

HONORS & AWARDS
LSWA Co-Player of the Week (12/14/15)
2016 SEC Community Service Team

CAREER
Played two seasons at LSU after transferring from West Virginia … Played 61 games with 35 starts … Shot 45 percent (158-350) from the field … Averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game … Tallied 94 assists, 19 blocked shots and 100 steals … Due to NCAA tranfer rules, sat out the 2013-14 season … Saw her first season of action at LSU as a redshirt junior during the 2014-15 season … Played her freshman and sophomore seasons at West Virginia after starring at Academy of Holy Cross in Maryland.

SENIOR SEASON (2015-16)
Saw action in 30 games, making 22 starts … Closed out her senior season with 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds a game … Led LSU in steals with 55 … Second on the squad in assists with 65 … Scored in double figures in 13 games … Posted two double-doubles, both of which were in games that Alexis Hyder also posted a double-double … Led LSU in rebounding in 11 games, and in scoring in three games … Earned her first start of the season and scored both points on free throws before fouling out late in the contest against ULM (Nov. 15) … Led the team in rebounding against Long Beach State (Nov. 21) with nine boards, eight of which were defensive rebounds … Also scored eight points in the win … Recorded her first double-digit scoring game of the season with 10 points against Tulane (Nov. 23) … Led the team for the second-consecutive game with seven rebounds against Tulane … Also logged a team-leading three assists and three steals against the Green Wave … Scored a career-high 17 points against Purdue (Nov. 27) in the Gulf Coast Showcase before fouling out … Led the team in rebounds in that game with nine … Was 6-of-10 from the field and hit a free throw for 13 points in the win over Marist (Nov. 28) … Registered her fourth-consecutive game of double-digit scoring with 11 points against Maine (Nov. 29) in the final day of the tournament … Second on the team in rebounding in that game with nine … Had a career day in her ninth consecutive start of the season versus UCSB (Dec. 13) … Set a new career mark with 18 points off an 8-of-14 shooting effort from the field … The eight field goals made tied her career mark as did her five assists and four steals … Led the team in points (18), rebounds (9), assists (5) and steals (4) against the Gauchos … Named Co-Player of the Week by the LSWA following her efforts versus UCSB … Held a streak of 11-straight games with at least one steal until the streak was snapped against UConn (Dec. 21) … Came in off the bench against Ole Miss (Jan. 7) and scored 16 points off a 7-of-13 effort from the field in 29 minutes on the floor … Hauled in five rebounds against the Rebels … Matched her career marks with five assists and four steals … Led LSU in scoring against Vanderbilt (Jan. 14) with 11 points off a 5-of-10 shooting effort from the field … Led the way in steals with three while also tallying three assists and three rebounds … Recorded her second career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas (Jan. 21) … The 11 boards set a new career mark … Also set a new career high with five steals in the loss … Tied a career mark with two blocks … Started in the win on the road against Georgia (Jan. 24) and scored 10 points and was second on the team with eight rebounds … Was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line with four of the points coming in the last minutes of the game … Held to just four points, but led the team against #22 Missouri (Jan. 28) with nine rebounds … One of four players in double digits with 10 points versus Auburn (Feb. 1) … Converted the most FGs in the game with five … Registered 10 points and tied for the team-lead in rebounds with six against #11 Mississippi State (Feb. 4) … Was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the loss … Registered her third straight game of 10 points in the loss at #18 Kentucky (Feb. 7) … Set a new career mark with 39 minutes against No. 12 Texas A&M (Feb. 18) and led the team with 10 rebounds, six of which were defensive boards … Eclipsed her career total with 12 rebounds in the win over #24 Tennessee (Feb. 21) … All of her rebounds were defensive boards … Came in off the bench against #13 Kentucky (Mar. 3) in the second-round game of the SEC Tournament and logged her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds … Tied her career mark with seven made free throws … Snapped a 15-game streak of at least one steal when she did not have a steal in the two games of the tournament … Posted at least five rebounds in 21 games … Eighth in the SEC in steals with 1.9/league game … Scored 10+ points in nine of the last 17 games … Played nine games in a protective mask after breaking her nose the day before the Auburn game … Named to SEC Community Service Team on Feb. 24.

REDSHIRT JUNIOR SEASON (2014-15)
Bethel started 13 times as a forward on LSU’s front line with 17 of her final 18 appearances of the season coming off the bench (Jan. 4-March 21) … Produced 4.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game … Secured at least five points in 16 of 31 games and at least five rebounds in 15 of 31 games … Collected six points, five rebounds and a season-high four steals versus Jackson State (Nov. 17) … Ripped off a season’s best 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting coupled with five rebounds and three steals against Tulane (Nov. 19) … Notched 10 points and six rebounds against Santa Clara (Nov. 25) … Provided nine points and seven rebounds versus Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 14) … Tacked on nine points and nine rebounds at Long Beach State (Dec. 16) … Contributed eight rebounds and a season-high five assists against UNC Greensboro (Dec. 28) … Turned in her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds at No. 9 Texas A&M (Jan. 11) … Added seven points and equaled a career-high with four steals at No. 15 Mississippi State (Jan. 15) … Came away with seven points and three rebounds versus Georgia (Feb. 19) … Returned to the starting lineup at Ole Miss (Feb. 26) where she tallied three points, five rebounds and two steals … Picked up five points and eight rebounds against No. 18 Texas A&M (March 6) during LSU’s quarterfinal win at the SEC Tournament.

JUNIOR SEASON (2013-14)
Bethel sat out the 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules after she spent her first two seasons at West Virginia.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012-13 AT WEST VIRGINIA) 
Saw action in 17 games and averaged 3.0 points per contest before sustaining a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 19 against Baylor … Scored seven points with three assists, four rebounds and two steals in a loss to LSU at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 23.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2011-12 AT WEST VIRGINIA)
Played in 25 games and averaged 3.8 points and 10.8 minutes per contest … Recorded a pair of double-figure scoring games, including 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting against North Carolina Central … Led WVU with a season-best nine rebounds in the Big East Championship semifinals against Notre Dame … Was perfect from the free throw line on six occasions, shooting 66.7 percent (14-of-21) for the season … Played in all five postseason games.

HIGH SCHOOL
Prepped at Academy of Holy Cross in Kensington, Md., and was named team MVP as a senior after producing 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game … Named first-team all-conference in the prestigious Washington Catholic Athletic Conference … Eclipsed 1,000 points for her career and was a first-team All-Gazette selection … Helped Holy Cross to a 15-4 team record and the WCAC semifinal game as a senior.

PERSONAL
Born April 15, 1993 in Baltimore, Md. … Daughter of Robert Bethel and Tammy Irvine … Has two older brothers – Vernon and Morgan and one older sister – Monatara … Majoring in mass communications.

BETHEL’S CAREER HIGHS

POINTS
18; UC Santa Barbara; 12/13/15
REBOUNDS
12; #24 Tennessee; 2/21/16
FIELD GOALS MADE
8; twice, last: UC Santa Barbara; 12/13/15
FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED
14; UC Santa Barbara; 12/13/15
3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE
N/A
3-POINT FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED
1; 3 times, last: Auburn; 2/1/16
FREE THROWS MADE
7; at #9 Texas A&M; 1/11/15
FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED
14; vs #13 Kentucky; 3/3/16
ASSISTS
5; 3 times, last: Ole Miss; 1/7/16
STEALS
5; Arkansas; 1/21/16
BLOCKS
2; twice, last: Arkansas; 1/21/16
MINUTES
39; at #12 Texas A&M; 2/18/16

BETHEL’S TOP SCORING GAMES
Rank; Points; Opponent; Date

1; 18; UCSB; 12/13/15
2; 17; vs Purdue; 11/27/15
2; 17; vs #13 Kentucky; 3/3/16
4; 16; Tulane; 11/19/14
4; 16; Ole Miss; 1/7/16
6; 13; vs Marist; 11/28/15
6; 13; at No. 9 Texas A&M; 1/11/15
8; 11; vs Maine; 11/29/15
9; 10; vs Tulane; 11/23/15
9; 10; vs. Santa Clara; 11/25/14
9; 10; Arkansas; 1/21/16
9; 10; at Georgia; 1/24/16
9; 10; Auburn; 2/1/16
9; 10; #11 Mississippi State; 2/4/16
9; 10; at #18 Kentucky; 2/7/16

 

Full Bio