LSU junior guard Allison Hightower didn’t know what to say. The Lady Tigers were just minutes removed from a 38-36 home loss to Mississippi State on Jan. 22 in which LSU’s offense mustered just four second-half field goals to squander a five-point halftime lead.After that game, the Arlington, Texas, native made a vow she and her teammmates have stuck to for the remainder of the season.”This just hurts,” she said. “We have to go back to practice and just start over. We have to come together and tell ourselves we can’t have another game like that.”Since the Mississippi State game, Hightower has done her best to make her strong words hold up — averaging 15 points, four rebounds and three assists per game.Hightower has lifted her game even further in LSU’s last five games — all  victories — and has averaged nearly 17 points per game against the likes of Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.”When you have a player who brings that level of energy, it raises everyone else’s energy,” said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said after last Thursday’s matchup. “She’s a fighter and a competitor, and I think that’s something we miss and they benefit from having.”Hightower was out of most of LSU’s game against Tennessee because of leg cramps. She said Wednesday after practice she had no problems with cramping in the Lady Tigers’ 59-48 win against Ole Miss on Sunday, and she expects to play in LSU’s first game of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Friday.”I’m trying to get there. I don’t know what’s going on with my body,” Hightower said. “I hope I do not cramp this whole tournament for however many days we’ll be there. I really pray that I do not cramp because it’s hard to go back out there and play.”Hightower’s biggest contribution this season has arguably been on the defensive side of the floor.Aside from leading LSU in scoring and assists, Hightower leads the Lady Tigers in blocks with 35 and steals with 50. “She’s so long-armed,” said LSU coach Van Chancellor. “She has become a very good player on that end for us.” The Lady Tigers aren’t so sure of how long they’ll be in North Little Rock, Ark., for the SEC tournament. But Hightower isn’t looking into the future.”You can’t save anything to play for the next day because you don’t know if you’re going to be there the next day,” Hightower said. “They just have to go out there and leave it all on the court and don’t expect to be there the next day. Play as hard as you can the first game you’re out there.”—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]