The LSU women’s basketball team will host Mississippi State (13-10, 3-7 Southeastern Conference) tonight with a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month.
On Feb. 5, the Lady Tigers (15-8, 5-5 SEC) upset then-No. 5 Kentucky by a score of 61-51 and won their first SEC game in six tries.
Before losing five straight in conference play, LSU went on a 10-game winning streak. Thursday’s meeting with the Bulldogs will give the Lady Tigers a chance to start another streak to carry them into postseason play.
“There’s no time for us not to progress … and put ourselves in the position to be one of the teams that are seeded high in the SEC conference,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell.
Caldwell said the Lady Tigers will stick with the same game plan they used against Kentucky and build upon it for the rest of the season.
“We showed that when we do commit to it, they can be successful,” Caldwell said. “They can play, and they can beat some of the best teams in the country.”
Caldwell said Mississippi State, like Kentucky, will be aggressive on defense and try to create easy transition baskets.
“They’re going to look to turn you over,” Caldwell said. “We feel like if we can limit our number of passes and things like that, that will limit the number of deflections an opposing team will have on us.”
Caldwell said while there’s always an “emotional letdown” after a big win, her team can handle it.
“No matter who the next opponent is, you’ve got to play a certain way,” Caldwell said. “We’re mature enough at this point because of all the adversity that we’ve hit that they understand and they have to know that we can’t go back.”
On the offensive end, the Lady Tigers will continue to look to junior guard Adrienne Webb, who has had the hot hand lately.
Webb scored a season-high 19 points in LSU’s Feb. 2 loss against Florida and matched the total on a 6-of-9 shooting night against Kentucky.
“I’ve got to compliment my team for really finding her,” Caldwell said. “When she’s in that mid-range, she’s a pure jump shooter.”
The Lady Tigers opened the Kentucky game with a different starting five than in previous games. Webb, junior guard Jeanne Kenney, senior forwards Swayze Black and Taylor Turnbow, and sophomore forward Shanece McKinney got the nod against the Wildcats, a group that Caldwell said has earned another start.
“That group answered the call and performed the way they had been practicing,” she said. “They earned it by performing, and everybody understands that.”
 
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