The Alabama women’s basketball team will travel to Baton Rouge, La., Thursday to face the LSU Tigers, hoping to end their eight-game losing streak.
Alabama sits in the No. 13 spot in the Southeastern Conference, while LSU is No. 7.
Though Alabama is 12-15 overall (2-12 SEC), the team isn’t focusing on the ranks anymore. Instead, coach Wendell Hudson is focusing on the team to come together and make progress as a whole when playing LSU.
“It’s really hard to not be successful,” Hudson said. “We’re giving ourselves a chance, and it’s not getting over it [that costs us].”
Alabama is walking into a strenuous game against LSU due to the Tigers’ top player, Theresa Plaisance, who averages 17.8 points per game. The Tide’s top player, Daisha Simmons only averages 12.4.
Previously, Alabama lost to Florida, which marked the eighth consecutive loss for the Tide. LSU is on a four-game winning streak. Hudson is trying to keep the team focused on the game at hand instead of the other team’s record.
“The biggest concern about going into LSU is ourselves,” Hudson said. “When you go into LSU, you have to have a positive attitude. We also have to make some shots early, because if you make some shots early, it not only helps you, but it keeps the other team off balance.”
It’s not every day that the two teams face each other. The last time was over a year ago, but Alabama is concerned about controlling the other team’s biggest player, Plaisance. At 6 feet 5 inches tall, LSU’s bigshot has Hudson focusing in on her.
“They have a post player who’s 6 feet 5 inches, who’s not really a post player,” Hudson said. “She’s the perimeter jump shot shooter, and she’s their best three-point shooter. The biggest thing we have to do is contain her and have other people make shots. We’re going to play a couple of defenses to hopefully zone some other people.”
The Tide may be hungry for a win, but they are just taking this as another game to help them get where they want to be in the long run. The team needs to make the shots in order to compete with the Tigers’ strong defensive game.
“Shafontaye Meyers has got to make some shots,” Hudson said. “LSU is a match-up zone team, so if she can make some perimeter shots, as well as Daisha Simmons making some shots, we will be fine. We got to get scoring from that group of people right there, because if we don’t, that match-up zone will be a problem.”
Thursday’s game will help decide on the seeds for the SEC playoffs as well as the Tide’s future in the playoffs.
Leading in today’s Crimson White:
Grant getting ready to face Gators in Gainesville
Alabama, LSU both offer 8th grader scholarship money to play for their team in 2017
