When the LSU women’s basketball team wins in the Southeastern Conference, it wins convincingly.
Five of the Lady Tigers’ six conference wins this season have come by double digits, including three by more than 20 points. The largest margin of defeat in their five losses has been a 12-point fall to Auburn.
LSU (16-9, 6-5) will host Auburn (13-10, 6-4) tonight in the PMAC at 7 p.m. with both teams vying to stay alive for a bye in the SEC tournament.
“You can’t get much bigger than what we’re facing,” said LSU coach Van Chancellor. “Auburn presents matchup problems down the line. They have a lot of scorers, they shoot the ball really well and we’ll have a hard time defending them.”
Auburn coach Nell Fortner echoed similar emotions about facing LSU. Auburn has lost two straight games to Kentucky and Mississippi State.
“We have a tough one ahead of us. We have to get back on the horse and play,” Fortner said. “[LSU sophomore guard Adrienne] Webb is a nice limber shooter who we definitely can’t give open looks.”
LSU brings the SEC’s No. 1 scoring defense into the contest, allowing 52.9 points per game, including 55 points or fewer in four straight games.
But it has been the Lady Tiger offense that has sputtered in crucial times, particularly from 3-point range and the free-throw line. LSU hit a new low Feb. 3 against Vanderbilt by shooting 6.7 percent (1-of-15) from beyond the arc but rebounded Sunday against Ole Miss by converting 10-of-17 3-pointers, six by Webb.
“We’d be on a six-game winning streak if we shot the 3-ball or made any free throws,” Chancellor said. “It’s about being able to shoot the basketball.”
Chancellor was encouraged by the offensive patience the Lady Tigers showed against Ole Miss, which senior guard Katherine Graham said is critical down the stretch. LSU faces Kentucky on the road Sunday.
“Against Vanderbilt we got to the point where we were shooting a lot of threes and shooting after one pass,” Graham said. “Against Ole Miss you saw the ball being moved from one side of the floor to the other side and people turning down good shots for great shots.”
LSU quickly let a one-point lead slip away at Auburn on Jan. 16, after which Auburn ran away with the game and won 65-53, the second-most points LSU has surrendered in SEC play this season.
LSU junior forward LaSondra Barrett said the Lady Tigers have to play with more urgency in this matchup.
“You look at those close games, and in the end at those crucial times we’re either fouling a shooter, giving up a rebound or turning the ball over,” Barrett said. “We set the tone in the Ole Miss game with good defense and shot selection in the first five minutes. … That’s what gears our team.”
 
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