Big week for Tiger athletics

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By Jason Dupuy

While the last taste in Tiger fans' mouths this weekend wasn't a particularly pleasant one, LSU's many teams performed well for the week.

The women's basketball team dominated the opening rounds of the SEC Tournament, crushing Ole Miss by 44 and Kentucky by 17. However, Tennessee used a 10-1 run to close out the championship game to defeat the Lady Tigers 61-55. It was the fourth straight season that LSU made the SEC Championship Game and the fourth straight season that they lost it, three of which came at the hands of Tennessee. LSU's Sylvia Fowles and Quianna Chaney made the All-Tournament Team, and Tennessee's Candace Parker was named Tournament MVP. The Lady Tigers' next action will be March 22 in the NCAA Tournament.

The men's baseball team also had a promising week that might be unfairly remembered more for its Sunday unraveling than its previous successes. The team went 4-1 on the week, including two midweek wins at the Box over Michigan State and a Saturday doubleheader sweep of Stetson. The highlights of the week were the Tigers' 12-1 victory over Michigan State and 9-3 win over Stetson. Sunday's 7-2 loss marked the first time Mainieri's squad scored less than five runs in a contest. The Tigers open SEC play in Tennessee over the weekend.

The Tiger softball team opened SEC play against Georgia this week in perfect fashion. The No.12 Tigers swept the No.17 Bulldogs at home during the weekend. The last time LSU had won a series against Georgia, let alone sweep one, was in 2002. In a Saturday doubleheader, LSU took the first game 8-1 and the nightcap 1-0 on the strength of a one-hitter by Cody Trahan. Combined with the 3-0 midweek victory over Nicholls State, LSU went 4-0 on the week. The Tiger softball team will travel to Florida to compete in the USF Under Armour Classic over the weekend before continuing their SEC schedule with Auburn the following weekend.

The men's basketball team closed out their SEC slate with a road loss to Mississippi State 84-75. Marcus Thornton tied his career high with 38 points, but combined with Chris Johnson's 17 and Anthony Randolph's 14, it still wasn't enough. However, taking into account the week's earlier game, an 80-74 victory over Alabama, interim head coach Butch Pierre closed out the regular season with a 5-4 record. LSU will take on South Carolina in the SEC Tournament's opening game on Thursday and will play Eastern Division champ Tennessee on Friday if they win.

The men's tennis team had a particularly strong week, sweeping their weekend series. In a rain-delayed Friday match, LSU shut out Kentucky 4-0. The Tigers hosted a Sunday doubleheader and upset No.22 Vanderbilt 6-1 before annihilating Centenary 7-0. LSU won 14 of 15 singles matches and each of their eight doubles matches during the weekend. In singles, they lost just three sets. Senior Kevin Dessauer improved his dual-record to 8-0, and freshman Sebastian Carlsson increased his win total to 19, tops on the team. The Tigers men's team will host South Florida and Ohio State this week.

The No.21 women's tennis team defeated No.15 Kentucky 4-3 before getting upended by No.20 Vanderbilt 7-0. Including the Kentucky victory, LSU had won three consecutive SEC matches, but the streak was halted convincingly by Vanderbilt. The women's tennis team will play next in a Sunday home doubleheader against Prairie View and Northwestern State.

In the six major team sports of the week, LSU posted a 16-4 record, with no team losing more than once. There was not a single disappointing loss, as the Tiger teams beat who they were supposed to and even upset a couple of squads. I'll take the .800 winning percentage against the quality opponents our men and women played any day.

Originally Published: Issue 600 - March 12, 2008

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