Nearly a half hour after women’s basketball practice ends, sounds of a basketball pounding the hardwood floor can still be heard in the PMAC auxiliary gym. The lone Lady Tiger on the court is senior guard Erica White. She has spent countless hours before and after practices the past several weeks shooting extra jump shots to help keep LSU on its current 13-game winning streak. “[The shots] are preparation for the next level, but I also need it on this level,” White said. “Our team has been shooting the ball real well. When I’m shooting the ball well, it opens a lot of things up for our team.” White’s practice has made perfect for the Lady Tigers as four of the Jacksonville native’s five double-digit scoring games have come in the past month. She scored 16 points this past Thursday against then-No. 1 Tennessee. With White as an offensive threat, the Lady Tigers are two Southeastern Conference victories from capturing the team’s third regular season SEC Championship in four seasons. The Lady Tigers may drop their magic number to one Thursday night when No. 6 LSU (22-3, 11-0) hosts Kentucky (13-12, 7-4). LSU enters Thursday’s matchup with the Wildcats after a 78-48 win against Ole Miss on Sunday. Senior center Sylvia Fowles dominated the interior for the Lady Tigers against the Lady Rebels, scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. The Miami native needs just two more double-doubles to tie former Georgia post player Janet Harris’ SEC record: 78 double-doubles. Playing Kentucky, Fowles will square off against senior center Sarah Elliot, who scored 17 points in the teams’ first meeting. The Lady Tigers won that game 72-46 on Jan. 27. Fowles said LSU has emphasized better interior defense in practice this week to prepare for the Lady Wildcats. “We can’t let them get as much paint penetration as we did the last time,” Fowles said. “We played a good game, but we let them get into the paint quite often.” Senior guard Quianna Chaney echoed Fowles’ sentiments, saying the Lady Tigers want to reduce the 22 free-throw attempts the Lady Wildcats took in the first meeting. “We have to change up our basic defenses,” Chaney said. “We want to make sure we don’t let them get to the foul line, where they can cause problems and get some and-ones.” With the team slowly climbing the national rankings and headed toward a potential SEC championship, Chaney said White’s passion and energy will be critical if LSU wants to advance to its fifth -straight Final Four. “She is the head of the snake,” Chaney said. “She gets the team running. When she runs, we run with her. She brings the energy, and we go right along with her.”
—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]