Sophomore forward Wendlyn Jones goes for her third consecutive double-double on Thursday night at Alabama in the Coleman Coliseum at 7 p.m.
Jones’ two double-doubles are the first of her young career. Unfortunately for the Lady Tigers, Jones’ performances have only translated into one win.
But No. 14 LSU (17-3, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) is coming off a home win against South Carolina last Sunday. In the 82-62 victory, Jones recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Against Georgia in the Lady Tigers’ first SEC loss of the season, Jones scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Jones said she is finally hitting her stride after the long road back from a knee injury.
“It’s taken me a while to get back in shape,” Jones said. “We knew it would take some time to get back completely, and I think I am starting to get back into the flow.”
LSU will be without coach Sue Gunter for the second straight game. Gunter is still recovering from bronchitis.
Associate coaches Pokey Chatman and Bob Starkey will lead the Lady Tigers into Tuscaloosa, a venue that has been unforgiving to LSU in the past.
The last time LSU won in Tuscaloosa, sophomore Seimone Augustus was not yet two years old. Alabama (10-10, 2-5 SEC) is on a nine-game winning streak against LSU in the Coleman Coliseum, a streak that dates back to 1986.
Overall, LSU leads the series 20-16, but Alabama holds the edge in Tuscaloosa, 11-6.
Chatman said although ‘Bama has lost five straight SEC games, they are shooting the ball as well as any team in the conference right now.
“They hand the ball off a lot and get their shooters open,” Chatman said. “We’ve been practicing the last couple of days, specifically on that.”
Chatman said the home win against South Carolina – which was sandwiched between two road games – was benificial in terms of regenerating the team after the Georgia loss.
“I think the best thing in terms of regenerating is the fact that we had a week off – in terms of resting, in terms of rehabbing [and] in terms of breaking some things down,” Chatman said.
Augustus leads the Lady Tigers into Alabama, averaging 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Temeka Johnson averages 11.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Johnson said Alabama is one of the best shooting teams in the league.
“They are a very good 3-point shooting team,” Johnson said. “So, we are looking for them to push the ball up, have a good up-tempo [game], and look to spot up behind the arc.”
Should Jones put together her third straight double-double, the chances of LSU ending the recent losing streak in Tuscaloosa are good. But Jones said winning on the road will take more than another double-double.
“We have a lot of road games, and road games are hard to win in the SEC,” Jones said. “We are one of the top teams, so everybody is going to be looking to beat us.”