As the calendar moves into the final full month of conference play, the LSU women’s basketball team has weathered the storm in the Southeastern Conference, staying near the top of the pack as teams move into their February push.
The team recognizes that one slip-up could ruin a successful season, as it becomes clear that a SEC regular season championship is in reach for the Lady Tigers.
“Every game is important at this point, and every loss would be a bad loss for us at this point, whether it’s against the No. 1 team in the country or the last team in the country,” senior forward Theresa Plaisance said. “We need to have every win, and we are just pushing for that championship.”
The No. 14 Lady Tigers (16-4, 5-2 SEC) will continue their push for a championship as they play Mississippi State (15-6, 2-5 SEC) Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Lady Tigers have rallied back from a 79-70 loss to Vanderbilt to win two consecutive games over Auburn and Ole Miss. Neither win came with comfort as the Lady Tigers got off to sluggish starts and trailed at halftime of both games.
Coach Nikki Caldwell emphasized one theme she hoped her team might take heart in.
“Basically, her message to us was we can’t be content with where we are,” Plaisance said. “We have the talent, we have the skill set to be a lot better than how we’ve been competing in the first half. We just cannot be content with where we were at halftime.”
Plaisance seemed to be the best observer of Caldwell’s message, as she took over the last two games to ensure victory. Plaisance averaged 21 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two victories, including a season-high 23 points in a win over Ole Miss on Sunday.
Her stellar play earned her SEC player of the week honors Monday.
“Theresa is a player that has a lot of weapons. She can score the basketball multiple ways,” Caldwell said. “I’m more impressed with the fact that she’s getting on the offensive glass and getting those put-backs for us.”
A weak non-conference schedule may have given Mississippi State a 13-1 record to start the season, but the lack of competition has hurt the team as they move through conference play. The Bulldogs have lost five of their first seven SEC games, including a 38-point drubbing from conference leader Texas A&M.
Despite the recent struggles, Caldwell said the Bulldogs should not be overlooked, crediting the team for a balanced attack and good defensive schemes.
The Bulldogs are led by junior center Martha Alwal, who leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks.
“We are going to have to do a lot of things to shut them down defensively, starting with the post player position,” Plaisance said. “We need to get out early, stay in front of her early and limit her touches so she doesn’t have the opportunity to do anything with the ball.”
The schedule only gets more difficult after the game, as the Lady Tigers will travel to Lexington, Ky. to play the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats. But if the Lady Tigers take Caldwell’s halftime message to heart, there should be no problem with progressing forward.
“We’ve got to be a team that puts together 40 minutes,” Caldwell said. “I think it’s important for us to continue to grow, not only as an efficient offensive team, but a very efficient defensive team. … Each night is competitive, and we’ve got to have daily improvement.”