Men’s Basketball: Dismal season ends in disappointment
3/11/10 10:56 PM
With the final buzzer sounding on LSU’s season after a 59-49 loss to Tennessee, the final results bring up one question: What was the worst part of this season — LSU’s performance or Tasmin Mitchell not reaching the 2000 point mark? The Tigers began the season winning eight of their first 10 games, but it was only a matter of time before LSU would feel the absence of its former Tigers Marcus Thornton, Quinton Thornton, Garrett Temple, Terry Martin and Chris Johnson. LSU lost 15 of the next 16 games, including 12 straight. The Tigers’ 11-20 overall record was good enough for last in the Southeastern Conference. The season was a far cry from the 2008-09 season when LSU won the SEC regular season championship. Mitchell began the season outside the top 10 on...Women’s basketball: Lady Tigers lean on Hightower in preparations for NCAA tournament
3/11/10 8:04 AM
The LSU Lady Tigers are far from satisfied with their play as they await the announcement of their NCAA tournament fate Monday night. The team will scrimmage Friday to keep the players “in game shape” as junior guard Katherine Graham put it after practice yesterday. Coach Van Chancellor said it is important to find the root of the problem that has hindered LSU from closing out victories, which he has talked about all season long. “Losing these close games has driven me nuts,” Chancellor said Wednesday. “I don’t have an answer to that. I’ve tried everything.” The player for the Lady Tigers who knows how it feels to get to the top is senior guard Allison Hightower. She’s been to two Final Fours as a...Men’s Basketball: Saturday a family affair for Johnson
3/8/10 12:26 PM
LSU senior forward Tasmin Mitchell played his last home game Saturday in what was the main headline for the night. It was more than senior night for LSU coach Trent Johnson. Mitchell and the Tigers won a heartbreaking game against Georiga, 50-48. It was a fitting end to the Denham Springs native’s career. Mark Fox, someone all too familiar with Johnson, coaches the Bulldogs. Fox was an assistant under Johnson at Nevada, where the pair brought the Wolfpack from celler dweller to WAC powerhouse. Under Johnson, Nevada claimed one WAC title and took a trip the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. After that season, Johnson moved on to Stanford and left Fox the keys to the program. Fox didn’t disappoint. He went on to win four WAC titles himself and led the...Women’s Basketball: Clutch gene missing from Lady Tigers’ DNA
3/7/10 4:29 PM
One theme has been very clear this season with the women’s basketball team — they don’t win close games. The Lady Tigers failed to win one SEC game by single digits. Instead, they won nine SEC regular season games by an average of 24.3 points. In its seven SEC losses, LSU fell by 6.4 points, including three overtime games. The Lady Tigers have not gotten the job done at the end of games. The LSU-Vanderbilt tilt was a microcosm of their season. The Lady Tigers jumped to an early 15-3 lead, but the Commodores responded to tie it up at 22-22 with 4:58 left in the first half. Vanderbilt senior guard Merideth Marsh, an 84 percent free throw shooter this season, missed three shots from the charity stripe in the last two minutes and change. But LSU had its own problems...Women’s basketball: Hightower relishes final days in purple and gold
3/3/10 6:28 PM
LSU women's basketball hit the big time in 2002 when Seimone Augustus chose LSU. Augustus was the first face of Lady Tiger basketball, gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated as the best recruit in the country and gaining the love and admiration of many LSU fans. Final Four appearances began coming as the team made winning look easy with Augustus. Then Sylvia Fowles carried the torch, leading the team to more Final Fours. After clinching thier fifth consecutive Final Four appearance in Fowles’ senior year, there were question marks for the program. Who would step up? Could anyone replace Augustus and Fowles? Is the program going to die? The answer to the questions could be found on the bench of the 2007-08 team, the last Final Four team. There sat a 5-foot-10 guard from...
