After playing four straight Top 20 teams, the LSU women’s basketball team is not taking its next Southeastern Conference opponent lightly.
When Alabama (11-11, 1-8 SEC) comes to town for a 7 p.m game, LSU head coach Sue Gunter said the Crimson Tide’s mediocre record will not deter LSU (20-1, 8-1 SEC) from trying to take care of business, and they will not underestimate Alabama.
“They are the best 3-pointing team we’re going to play this year,” Gunter said. “They load up, and they shoot it. Everything they do is trying to set up and get that 3-point field goal.”
Gunter said Alabama’s record is not an accurate indication of its skills on the court.
“If they were anywhere else but the SEC, they would probably be in the top three or four in the conference right now,” she said.
As a team, Alabama is shooting 35 percent from behind the arc, which ranks fourth in the conference.
Guards Beth Vice and Katie Sipe are the top shooters for UA. Sipe ranks 10th in the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage, and Vice is second with 57 3-pointers made.
Vice, a senior from Mt. Sterling, Ky., averages 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game.
“They’ve got about three or four shooters, and it starts with [Beth] Vice,” Gunter said. “Then you’ve got [Monique] Bivins and it goes on and on.”
Stopping the 3-point shot is Gunter’s No. 1 priority, she said, and to do that Gunter said the team must stop Alabama’s players from penetrating in the lane and kicking the ball out for a shot.
“We’ve got to make sure to block out and remember there are going to be long rebounds,” Gunter said.
LSU point guard Temeka Johnson said having to play a team with a sub-par record after facing so many tough opponents is difficult, but everyone on the team is on the same page and knows what they have to do.
“We know we’re going to compete,” Johnson said. “We’re not underestimating Alabama.”
The Tigers will rely on forward Ke-Ke Tardy to guard 6-foot-4 center and LSU-transfer Jamilah Johns, who averages 11.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Tardy started the last four games in place of DeTrina White.
“Overall I’ve been pleased,” Tardy said of her performance. “I know I can’t replace DeTrina, but I feel like the whole team has come in and compensated for her loss.”
LSU also plays No. 20 UC-Santa Barbara at home on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Tardy said having to play UCSB two days after Alabama is a prelude to the SEC and NCAA tournament, where teams often play in back-to-back games. Though the games are close, Tardy said the team is not looking past Alabama.
“We’re taking them seriously,” she said. “They have the ability to beat us if we don’t come out ready to play.”