Even though the LSU women’s basketball team tipped off its season back in November, the players said with a new year comes a whole new season — the conference season.
The Lady Tigers rebounded from their 0-2 start, improving their record to 10-4 to cap off the non-conference slate.
LSU faced three top-10 teams in the first half of the season, including No. 1 Connecticut, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 9 UCLA.
But as freshman guard Jeanne Kenney said, the Southeastern Conference portion of the schedule brings a world of new opportunities.
“It is important to get a good start to definitely build your confidence, but the SEC is a whole different season,” Kenney said. “You could have a terrible preseason and then come out with everybody clicking.”
Kenney, whose five 3-pointers last week against Mississippi State tied former Lady Tiger Cornelia Gayden for an LSU freshman record, said the tough first half of the season helps the team come together and prepare for the conference half of the season.
“It was important for us to have some difficult games,” Kenney said. “We have the right pieces to the puzzle and the right talent and everything. It’s just a matter of coming together and making those pieces work.”
Just two days into the new year, LSU kicked off SEC play losing to No. 5-ranked Tennessee, 73-65. The Lady Tigers then lost a heartbreaker at South Carolina (63-61) before bouncing back to beat Alabama (72-43) and Mississippi State (72-55) convincingly.
The Lady Tigers, who have spent 11 of their 19 games on the road, dropped their third conference contest of the season to Auburn on Sunday, 65-53.
Sophomore guard Adrienne Webb, who led the way for the Lady Tigers with 11 points in the game, said the team has had to adjust to life on the road.
“It’s the life of a college athlete,” said Webb, who also leads all Lady Tigers with 13.5 points per game. “You just sleep whenever you can. We just need to get our rest and be ready to play.”
The slate doesn’t get much easier from here on out.
Looking ahead on the schedule, LSU still faces four top-25 teams, including No. 19 Kentucky, No. 23 Arkansas twice and a season-ending showdown at No. 6 Tennessee.
LSU coach Van Chancellor said the early season challenges will help the Lady Tigers down the road.
“[The preseason] makes you a lot tougher, and then you’re ready for [SEC play],” Chancellor said.
Chancellor described the SEC as having “a different attitude, different mindset, different everything,” and said the key to success in the conference lies in playing defense.
“In this league you’ve got to defend and rebound and take care of the ball,” Chancellor said. “We can shoot the ball, we play hard, we rebound good, and our defense is at the top. As long as your defense is at the top, you’ve got a shot.”
LSU’s defense ranks 20th in the nation, allowing just 53.8 points per game. The Lady Tigers are also holding opponents to a mere 34.2 field-goal percentage.
Webb said the stingy defense and solid start to the season gives her confidence in the team’s potential.
Webb, whose 48 threes made are good for second in the SEC, also said the team’s chemistry is one of the biggest factors of success in the SEC.
“[The key] is staying together through the rough patches in the games,” Webb said. “We’re keeping our heads and making each other realize that we still have a lot of time either in the game or in the season to build our team.”
The Lady Tigers sit at 12-7 overall and 2-3 in the conference begin a four-game homestand Thursday against Ole Miss (8-8, 1-3) before hitting the road again for five of their last seven games.
Kenney said the team is excited for the home stretch and also said she can feel the team meshing as the season progresses.
“We’re learning each other really well,” Kenney said. “And we’re starting to realize it.”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]