The LSU women’s basketball team aims to earn its third win in Southeastern Conference play against Auburn at 6 p.m. tonight in the PMAC.
Defense was LSU’s (8-13, 2-6 SEC) focus in its last game against Missouri (14-4, 4-4 SEC), but the team fell short in a 52-46 loss on Thursday in Columbia, Missouri.
“Our inability to defend in the first quarter really set the tone for Missouri offensively,” said LSU coach Nikki Fargas in a press release Thursday. “They were able to get the looks that they wanted from the three and from inside. I was proud of our team for making the adjustment at the half and trying to show the effort and the energy that it takes to play a team like Missouri that can spread you.”
Despite holding Missouri below its season average of 74.1 points per game, LSU’s defense didn’t work as well as it did when it prevented Georgia from scoring near their average of 65.8 points per game on Jan. 24.
Missouri had 10 three-pointers, while LSU had just one, by LSU junior guard Rina Hill. LSU was out-rebounded 32-26 but forced Missouri to commit 18 turnovers compared with LSU’s 15 giveaways.
In all eight of its conference games, LSU held each opponent below its scoring average. LSU averages 48.2 points per game in SEC play, with a scoring margin of minus 5.4 points.
Against Missouri, LSU shut down freshman guard Sophie Cunningham, who averaged a team-high 13.9 points per game. Cunningham only managed three points against the Lady Tigers.
Coming into this bout of Tigers, Auburn averages 64.8 points per game led by junior guard Brandy Montgomery, averaging 15.8 points per game, ranking seventh in the SEC. Auburn senior forward Tra’Cee Tanner tops the SEC with her 60.8 shooting percentage.
LSU has held six of the Top 10 scoring teams in the SEC from reaching their average points per game.
LSU senior forward Akilah Bethel opens opportunities for the Lady Tigers’ offense with her defensive effort. She leads the team with 43 steals while averaging 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
On the glass, LSU junior guard Jasmine Rhodes leads LSU with 3.5 boards per game this season. Rhodes has tallied 24 steals and 22 assists.
LSU junior forward Alexis Hyder spearheads the Lady Tigers’ offense with 10.9 points per game and in rebounding with 7.6 rebounds per game. Hyder managed a career-high of 23 points in her last outing against Missouri. She is the only Lady Tiger to tally more than 20 points per game.
Hill is the team’s rock. She facilitates the offense with 43 assists and is the only Lady Tiger to start in every game this season. In the Lady Tigers’ last nine games, the Japan native recorded an average of more than 37 minutes per game.
“This is a 40-minute game,” Fargas said in a press release. “It is not 20 minutes or three quarters. It is 40 minutes. When we have played hard for 40, we have put ourselves in position to win ball games.”
After Monday’s game against Auburn, the Lady Tigers will continue its home-game stand against Mississippi State at 8 p.m. Thursday at the PMAC.
You can reach Jourdan Riley on Twitter @jourdanr_TDR