The number 1,000 has been very significant for the Lady Tigers this season.
Coach Sue Gunter recorded her 1,000th game coached in her career Jan. 25. Doneeka Hodges reached 1,000 points for her career on Nov. 15.
And Thursday it was sophomore guard Seimone Augustus’s turn to go for a grand.
Coming into the game against Ole Miss, Augustus needed just 15 points to reach 1,000 for her career. With LSU down 21-23 with 6:49 left to play in the first half, Augustus turned red-hot, scoring eight points during a 19-6 Lady Tigers run to finish out the first period. LSU would not trail for the rest of the game.
Augustus quickly made a layup to start off the second half, raising her career total to 999. Number 1000 eluded the sophomore for the next nine minutes, however, as Augustus’ shots refused to go in.
Finally Augustus was fouled by Genice Terry with 9:43 left in the game. As LSU’s single-season record holder for free-throw percentage stepped to the line, 1,000 points seemed assured.
But Augustus made everyone wait again when her first shot clanged off the rim. Augustus then sank her second shot to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Augustus said she was unaware of her struggle to reach the mark.
“I really wasn’t worried about the 1,000 points,” Augustus said. “I didn’t even know how many points I had. I just came out and played. It just seemed like a long time before I made a shot.”
The 6-foot-1 guard becomes the 23rd member of LSU’s 1,000-point club, and just the eighth player in LSU history to reach the mark in two seasons or less.
“I’m happy to be on the record books for my 1,000 points,” Augustus said.
Augustus added eight more points in the second half to finish with a game-high 23 along with six rebounds and four assists.
Last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year, Augustus has been a prolific scorer for the Lady Tigers ever since coming to LSU in the fall of 2002.
The former Capitol High standout led the Lady Tigers in scoring during her freshman campaign, averaging 14.8 points per game. Her season total of 504 points was the fifth-highest total in team history for a freshman.
This season Augustus has shown no signs of a sophomore slump. Her scoring average of 18.5 points per game ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference. Augustus also is eighth in rebounding and steals, averaging 6.8 and 1.83, respectively.
The sharpshooting guard has also bettered her LSU record 88.8 free-throw percentage she set during her freshman season. Augustus is currently shooting 91.6 from the line, the third-best percentage in the nation this season.
LSU acting head coach Pokey Chatman said the best is still to come from one of the most prized recruits in LSU history.
“She has the ability to dominate the games — scoring, rebounding, defensively passing the basketball — and that’s what makes her a special player,” Chatman said. “And I think sometimes we always want more, but she’s capable for that. I think the sky is the limit for Seimone.”
Although she has reached the 1,000-point mark during her sophomore season, Augustus still is a long way off from the Lady Tigers’ career scoring record of 2,906 recorded by Joyce Walker from 1980-84.