As the final seconds melted off the clock Tuesday in the Lady Tigers’ 90-80 NCAA tournament loss to Penn State, LSU coach Nikki Caldwell substituted senior forward LaSondra Barrett out of the game.
It marked the last time the Jackson, Miss., native would leave the court in an LSU uniform, and the home crowd stood and showed its appreciation for an outstanding career.
The three-time All-Southeastern Conference forward is one of five seniors who played her last game for LSU on Tuesday.
“It is going to be a challenge because we are going to lose a lot,” Caldwell said after the loss.
The Lady Tigers might be hard to recognize next season, as all five seniors started for LSU at one point this year.
Gone are Barrett, point guard Destini Hughes and forwards Courtney Jones, Taylor Turnbow and Swayze Black.
LSU’s biggest loss figures to be Barrett, who filled numerous roles for an LSU team that was decimated by injuries at times this season.
Barrett led the team in scoring with 12.8 points per game and a career-high 92 assists, as she was counted on to be a ball handler after Hughes went down for the season in a Jan. 19 loss to Tennessee.
“I don’t look at my senior season being defined by a Penn State loss,” Barrett said. “I look at all of the other stuff, whether it was us having to battle after Destini’s injury or me having to play point guard or all the other personal stuff we had to go through.”
Hughes was in the midst of the best season of her career before her knee injury.
Though she never averaged more than 3.3 points in her previous three seasons, Hughes was riding a hot streak in the five games prior to her injury, scoring 59 points. She finished her season with a 6.9 average.
Jones also saved her best for last, with career highs in points (8.9), rebounds (5.8) and field-goal percentage (.466).
Turnbow and Black didn’t contribute much as scorers but were key pieces for an LSU defense that gave up only 54.1 points per game this season.
While the Lady Tigers are losing a third of their roster to graduation, Caldwell sounded confident about the direction the basketball program is taking.
“We’re going to miss [the seniors] as people, and we’re going to miss their joy and humor,” Caldwell said. “With that being said, we have returning underclassmen that have been exposed to the senior class. The senior class has left a positive mark on them.”
While guard play was thin at times this season because of Hughes’ injury, it figures to be a strength of the team in the 2012-13 campaign.
LSU returns an experienced guard combination in sophomore Jeanne Kenney and junior Adrienne Webb that offers scoring punch and ball-handling ability, and junior Bianca Lutley provided a good offensive spark off the bench.
Joining them will be two freshmen who are ranked among ESPN Hoop Gurlz’ top-100 recruits in Memphis guard Danielle Ballard (No. 7 guard, No. 24 overall) and Gretna guard Kuaneshia Baker (36, 96).
Sophomore forward Theresa Plaisance and freshman forward Krystal Forthan could factor into the starting lineup as well next season, after a strong showing in LSU’s postseason.
The 6-foot-5 Plaisance scored 13 points in LSU’s 70-58 loss to Tennessee in the SEC Championship game and 10 points in the Penn State loss.
Forthan struggled with an ankle injury toward the end of the season, but shined in moments during her freshman campaign.
Though she only started twice, Forthan proved to be a capable scorer with a career-high 17 points in 17 minutes against Alabama State. She also turned in a 15-point effort three other times, including in the Penn State loss.
 
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