The LSU women’s basketball team will travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on its highest-ranked opponent this season, the No. 5 Wildcats.
LSU (12-7, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) comes off a 54-51 victory against Vanderbilt and a 7-point loss to No. 19 South Carolina. LSU coach Nikki Caldwell said the Lady Tigers are ready to take on the task.
“It’s going to be a really competitive game,” Caldwell said. “It’s going to be a game that our team welcomes, and it’s a challenge that we will not back down from.”
Kentucky (18-1, 6-0 SEC) enters into the game with its only loss coming from No. 1 Baylor by 34 points in November. Although senior guard A’dia Mathies, current SEC Player of the Week, leads the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game, junior forward Samarie Walker leads the team in rebounds, blocks and steals with 156, 29 and 41 respectively.
With wins against then-No. 12 West Virginia and the return of players who were a part of the team that beat highly ranked Kentucky twice last season, Caldwell said LSU has the ability to win in Lexington.
She noted that competitive play of senior guards Adrienne Webb and Bianca Lutley and junior guard Jeanne Kenney can lead the team and pressure Kentucky to turn the ball over.
“Our team has proven that they are capable of playing with some of the best teams in the country,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got players returning who understand what it takes to beat Kentucky.”
Lutley, Webb, freshman guard Danielle Ballard and junior forward Theresa Plaisance are all averaging double-digit points per game with Plaisance leading the pack with 18.3.
Following the loss to South Carolina, Caldwell noted a change in intensity for her players, which carried over to the game against Vanderbilt on Sunday.
“I feel like the team is competing at a different level,” Caldwell said. “They understand the task at hand, they understand what we have to do each week and that this is a tough conference to play in. They’re making the choice to be better for each other.”
According to Caldwell, more players are getting into the gym and making shots and free throws outside of practice, which Caldwell said is helping the Lady Tigers continue to grow into a team of their own.
“This team is still finding themselves and finding their identity,” Caldwell said.
Kenney said although Kentucky is a highly ranked team, anything can happen when playing in the SEC.
“Any team in the SEC is beatable on any given day,” Kenney said. “There’s not one team that is clearly going to have a win during the game.”
LSU leaves for Kentucky on Saturday morning and will watch the LSU and Kentucky men’s game Saturday afternoon. Caldwell said the Lady Tigers will be the “sixth man” for the Tigers in their game against the Wildcats.
Who: LSU vs. Kentucky
Where: Memorial Coliseum
When: 2 p.m. on Sunday
Watch/Listen: FSN/ 107.3 FM
