When LSU seniors Sylvia Fowles, Quianna Chaney and Erica White complete their collegiate basketball careers this season, the Lady Tigers will be losing three of the most decorated players in the program’s history. But while the LSU trio garners national attention and is given credit by fans for LSU’s victories and defeats, senior forward Ashley Thomas takes a behind-the-scenes role, making hustle plays to help the Lady Tigers win. “[Not getting attention] has never really bothered me,” Thomas said. “I know that at the end of the game when we have a win, I had some part in that. It might not always be in the points column, but it may be me getting a fingertip on a ball that causes a steal.” Thomas will look to continue to be a successful role-player Sunday afternoon when No. 9 LSU faces Mississippi State at 2 p.m. in the PMAC. Referred to as the “A-Train” by her teammates, Thomas came to LSU from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists per game in her senior season. Thomas said high school coach Dennis Watkins’ up-tempo style of play taught her to play with the intensity she exhibits at LSU. “Most of my points came from rebounds or steals that led to layups,” she said. “Our team pressed a lot so we just played hard all the time. If you didn’t play hard and didn’t play defense, you weren’t going to be in the game.” This season, Thomas averages just five points per game but is among the top-three Lady Tigers in rebounding, steals and blocked shots. “[Thomas] is not our best shooter and is not our best rebounder,” LSU coach Van Chancellor said. “But most winning teams have players who know their roles on the floor, and Ashley knows how to help our team.” LSU enters the weekend playing arguably its best basketball of the season, winning three-consecutive games since senior center Sylvia Fowles returned from a left knee injury Jan. 3. The Lady Tigers have averaged more than 70 points per game since Fowles’ return after averaging 64 points in the two games Fowles was inactive. LSU defeated Vanderbilt, 62-51, on Sunday in front of a home crowd of 10,841, the sixth-largest in the program’s history. The Lady Tigers led 18-2, but the Commodores cut LSU’s lead to single digits in the second half before Thomas helped the Lady Tigers remain perfect in conference play. “[The turning point of the game] was when Vanderbilt cut it to a five point game,” Chancellor said. “At that point, Ashley Thomas started to get rebound after rebound.” The Bulldogs have started the conference season on a sour note, dropping games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Mississippi State has a 5-0 record against Louisiana opponents this season, defeating Southeastern Louisiana, Centenary, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State and Louisiana-Lafayette. But the Bulldogs are familiar with how difficult playing LSU is. The Lady Tigers beat the Bulldogs, 77-50 this past season in Starkville. Sophomore forward Tysheka Grimes leads Mississippi State, averaging 13 points per game. The Bulldogs rely on balanced scoring, having eight different players who average five or more points per game.
—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]