NOTEBOOK: Lady Tigers in the Final Four

The following are news and notes about the LSU Lady Tigers heading into the NCAA Tournament.

CAPPING THE SEASON           

LSU entered the NCAA Tournament without the services of head coach Pokey Chatman who stepped down from her post on March 7. Assistant coach Bob Starkey will serve as acting head coach for the remainder of the post season. LSU, the No. 3 seed in the Fresno Region, defeated UNC Ashville and West Virginia in Austin, Texas, and Florida State  and Connecticut the regional in Fresno to advance to the program’s fourth straight Final Four. During the regular season, the Lady Tigers compiled a 26-7 overall record and finished tied for third in the Southeastern Conference with a 10-4 mark. LSU was the SEC Tournament runner-up after upsetting top seeded Tennessee in the semifinal. LSU opened the season with a school-best 15-1 record. The lone early blemish came at No. 15 Baylor in mid-November. A loss at Ole Miss early in conference play disrupted LSU’s bid at a third straight league title. LSU entered February with a 20-2 record, but losses at Georgia, to UConn, to Tennessee and at Vanderbilt put a sour note on the end of the Lady Tigers’ season. LSU avenged earlier losses to Ole Miss and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament only to fall to the Commodores in the title game. Sylvia Fowles was one of the individual highlights of the season. The 6-6 junior center became LSU’s all-time blocked shots leader, joined the 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds lists and became the first player in SEC history to record a double double in every conference game. Fowles enters the NCAA Tournament ranked 10th in career points and second in career rebounds and is one of two LSU players with over 1,500 points and 1,100 rebounds in the program’s history. Fowles was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection by the coaches and the media. Quianna Chaney earned second-team All-SEC by the coaches.

NOTE WORTHY..         

• Sylvia Fowles sits ninth on LSU’s career scoring list (page 6).

• Sylvia Fowles sits second on LSU’s career rebounding list (page 6).

• Sylvia Fowles became the first SEC player to record a double double in all 14 league games (page 7).

• LSU leads the nation in field goal percentage defense and scoring defense (page 9).

• Sylvia Fowles was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection by the coaches and media (page 10).

• LSU is 22-0 this season when holding opponents to 50 or fewer points this season (page. 17).

GOT A GRAND 

Sylvia Fowles became the 26th player in LSU history to reach the 1,000 career point milestone. The junior from Miami, Fla., scored her 1,000 points with 17:34 left to play in the Nov. 13 game against Howard.

GOT A GRAND, PART 2           

Sylvia Fowles became fourth player in LSU history to reach the 1,000 career rebound milestone. Her 14th board at Georgia on Feb. 1 was the Miami, Fla., native’s 1,000 of her career. She currently sits second on the career list at LSU with 1,202 rebounds and needs 265 more to pass Julie Gross for the top spot.

MOVIN’ ON UP 

Sylvia Fowles enters the Final Four ranked ninth in career points with 1,621. She is 28 points away from passing Marie Ferdinand for eighth-place.

ELITE COMPANY         

Sylvia Fowles is in elite company when it comes to her career points and rebounds totals. The junior is just the second player in LSU history to have at least 1,500 points and 1,100 rebounds, joining  only Julie Gross. Fowles is the only player in school history with at least 1,600 points, 1,200 rebounds and 250 blocked shots.

BLOCKING FOWLES

Sylvia Fowles, in 108 games in her career, has collected 250 blocked shots now holds the record for career blocked shots at LSU. She surpassed Julie Gross for the record with her second block at Tulane on Nov. 19, 2006.

SHOOTING FOWLES               

Junior Sylvia Fowles’ career field goal percentage of 58.8 ranks her third on LSU’s career list.

SINGLE-SEASON MARKS        

Sylvia Fowles enters the Final Four ranked third in rebounds in a season at LSU with 470, needing 24 more to pass Maree Jackson for second-place. Fowles also ranked sixth in single-season field goal percentage.

JUNIOR MARKS           

Junior Sylvia Fowles already owns the most rebounds by a junior in LSU history. The Miami, Fla., native’s 455 surpassed Julie Gross’ 258. Fowles sits in sixth place in points by a junior with 615, needing 29 to pass Elaine Powell for fifth-place.

FOWLES ADDS TO THE 20-20 CLUB    

Sylvia Fowles has made her way back into the 20-20 club this season with two 20-20 performances. She posted 23 points and 20 rebounds at South Carolina on Feb. 4 and then put up the same numbers at Arkansas on Feb. 15. She is just the fourth player in LSU history to record a 20-20 game. Fowles’ three appearances on the is the second most to Maree Jackson’s 12 times.

HISTORY WAS MADE

Sylvia Fowles became the first player in SEC history to have a double double in all 14 league games. The Miami, Fla., native had a streak of 21 straight double doubles against SEC opponents, including the final two regular season conference games last season, the three SEC tournament games last year, all 14 regular season games this year and the first two tournament games. The streak came to an end in the championship game against Vanderbilt. Fowles collected 13 points and nine rebounds.

FOWLES AMONG NATION’S BEST       

Sylvia Fowles entered the NCAA Tournament among the nation’s best in field goal percentage, blocked shots and rebounding. The national stats have Fowles 12th in field goal percentage with 57.8, third in rebounding with 12.8 per game and 44th in blocked shots with 1.9 per game.

SCORING A SCORE

Sylvia Fowles has reached the 20-plus point plateau 27 times in her career, including 13 times this season. The Miami, Fla., native has also scored in double figures in 88 of her 108 career games.

DOUBLE FOWLES       

Junior Sylvia Fowles enters the Final Four ranked second in school history with 62 doubles doubles in her career. The Miami natives passed Maree Jackson with her double double against Mississippi State on Jan. 14. Fowles now has her sights on Julie Gross’ record of 68 and is six away from the record.

GRABBING THE BOARDS                    

Sylvia Fowles has pulled down at least 10 rebounds in  66 games in her career. She grabbed a career-best 22 boards in LSU’s victory over No. 22 Vanderbilt on Jan. 26, 2006 and collected 20 against Auburn on Jan. 28, 2007, 20 at South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2007, 20 at Arkansas on Feb. 15 and 20 against Tennessee on March 3.

“Q” FROM DOWNTOWN

Quianna Chaney enters the Final Four ranked sixth in career three-pointers made and fifth in career three-pointers attempted at LSU. The junior from Baton Rouge has made 110 three pointers in her career and needs 11 more to move into fifth-place. She also has taken 347 long range shots and needs 100 more to pass Katrina Hibbert for fourth-place.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Pete Maravich Assembly Center has been home sweet home for the Lady Tigers over the years, especially the past 11 seasons. LSU is 344-88 in the 31-year history of the building, including a 153-14 (.916) record over the past 11 years.

STREAKING AT HOME 

LSU saw its 43-game home court win streak in the Maravich Center come to an end on Feb. 11 with the 72-71 loss to UConn. The 43 straight was the nation’s longest active streak.

HISTORIC DAY

LSU’s 70-27 victory over Alabama on Feb. 25 was not only history for what Sylvia Fowles accomplished her 14 double doubles in 14 SEC games, but the Lady Tigers as a team broke some school marks as well. The 27 points allowed where the fewest given up by an LSU team to a SEC opponent in school history. The eight field goals were also the fewest allowed to a SEC foe in school history and the 43-point victory is the second largest margin of victory in school history behind a 46-point win at Arkansas on Jan. 20, 2005.

IN THE POLLS

LSU entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA poll.

POLL STREAK

LSU has now been ranked in 94 straight Associated Press polls dating back to the final poll of the 2001-02 season.

AMONG THE ELITE

LSU has been ranked in the Associated Press poll for 298 weeks since the first poll came out in November of 1976. That ranks the Lady Tigers 12th in weeks appeared in the poll. SEC foe Tennessee holds the record at 521 weeks in the top 25.

AGAINST THE RANKED

The Lady Tigers are 5-6 against ranked opponents this season. LSU defeated No. 5 Ohio State, 75-51, on Dec. 10, won at No. 18 Michigan State, 65-50, on Dec. 17, defeated No. 15 Georgia, 57-55, on Jan. 7, got past No. 2 Tennessee, 63-54, on March 3 and defeated No. 4 UConn on March 28 in the Fresno Regional Final. The Lady Tigers dropped a 64-60 decision at No. 15 Baylor on Nov. 21, a 53-51 loss at No. 14 Georgia on Feb. 1, a 72-71 loss to No. 5 UConn on Feb. 11, a 56-51 loss to No. 2 Tennessee on Feb. 19, a 68-58 loss at No. 12 Vanderbilt on Feb. 22 and a 51-45 loss to No. 13 Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament on March 4.

ON THE TUBE  

LSU is 14-5 in televised games this season.The Lady Tigers are 4-3 on the ESPN networks, including the four wins in the NCAA Tournament.

top crowd         

The crowd of 10,677 that witnessed LSU’s 75-51 victory over Ohio State on Dec. 10 was the sixth largest in women’s history in the Maravich Center. The 10,677 was also the largest crowd in a December game in the program’s history. The Ohio State game also ranked as the 16th largest crowd in the nation at the time to see a women’s game this season.

AMONG THE NATION’S BEST  

LSU’s sits 17th in the nation in home attendance this season with a 5,573 average. The Lady Tigers have finished the home slate this season. The rankings are compiled each week by the University of Wisconsin.

BIG HOME GAMES      

The game between No. 7 LSU and No. 2 Tennessee marked the 11th game between two top 10 teams in the Maravich Center and the third this season.

WIN UNDER 50 X TWO 

Earlier in the season, LSU’s 49-46 victory at South Carolina on Feb. 4 marked the first win in the program’s history when the team scored fewer than 50 points. The Lady Tigers accomplished the feat again in the NCAA Tournament second-round win over West Virginia with a 49-43 outcome. The previous low point total in a win was 54 which happened four times.

GET TO 75 AND WIN    

The Lady Tigers have won 82 of the last 83 games when they score at least 75 points. Florida ended a streak of 71 straight on Feb. 16, 2006 with a 79-78 overtime win over LSU. Before that game, the last time LSU failed to win a game when posting at least 75 points was Dec. 16, 2001, an 86-81 double overtime loss to Michigan.

A RUN FOR THE AGES

LSU used a 33-0 run in the 64-25 victory over West Virginia to open the season on Nov. 12. The run is believed to be the largest streak of unanswered points in the history of the program. On Nov. 24, LSU used a 28-0 run against Tulsa in a 61-37 victory and a 24-0 run to defeat Arkansas, 86-65, on Feb. 15.

THE BIG 30      

LSU’s win over UConn on March 26 was the 30th of the season. The Lady Tigers have now reached 30 wins for the fifth time in the program’s history. LSU has recorded at least 30 wins in each of the last three seasons and four of the last five. 

MATCHING BEST START          

LSU’s 15-1 record after 16 games equaled the best start in the program’s history. Five other Lady Tigers teams started the season 15-1, including each of the last two seasons. This year’s squad joins the 2005-06, 2004-05, 2002-03, 1996-97 and the 1977-78 teams with a 15-1 start.  

DECEMBERS TO REMEMBER

LSU has not lost a game in the month of December since Dec. 29, 2001, a streak of 29 straight wins. The Lady Tigers went 5-0 this season, went 5-0 in the month during the 2002-03 season, posted a 9-0 mark in 2003-04, 4-0 in 2004-05 and were 6-0 last season. 

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

The Lady Tigers entered the NCAA Tournament as the nation’s best defensive team. LSU is No. 1 scoring defense at 49.4 points per game and No. 1 in field goal percentage defense at 32.6 percent. The Lady Tigers also sit seventh in scoring margin (+17.8), fifth in fewest turnovers (13.3), 14th in fewest personal fouls (14.1), 14th in blocked shots (5.6), 28th in rebound margin (+5.8) and 31st in assists (15.7).

FOWLES A FINALIST FOR KODAK       

Sylvia Fowles earned Region 3 Kodak All-American honors which makes her a finalist for one of 10 Kodak All-American spots. The 6-6 junior center from Miami, Fla., was also named one of 12 finalists for the State Farm Wade Trophy. Both the Kodak and the Wade Trophy are presented annually by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

LSU MOP, AGAIN

For the fourth straight year a LSU player received the Regional Most Outstanding Player. This time Sylvia Fowles earned the honor that Seimone Augustus had received the previous three season. Fowles averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds in LSU’s wins over Florida State and UConn in the Fresno Regional. The 6-6 junior posted 23 points, 15 boards and six blocked shots in the 73-50 victory over top-seeded Huskies. Quianna Chaney joined Fowles on the All-Regional team.

WOODEN HONORS FOR FOWLES

Junior center Sylvia Fowles is one of five finalist for the 2007 John R. Wooden Award presented to the National Player of the Year on national television on April 7 in Los Angeles. By being one of the five finalists, Fowles is a John R. Wooden Award All-American.

MORE ALL-AMERICA HONORS FOR FOWLES

In addition to being a John R. Wooden Award All-American, Sylvia Fowles was named first-team All-American by ESPN.com. Fowles joined fellow Southeastern Conference players Candace Parker from Tennessee and Armintie Price from Ole Miss, and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris and Duke’s Lindsay Harding on the first-team. 

FOWLES NAMED FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC          

For the second straight year, Sylvia Fowles was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference by the 12 league coaches and the Associated Press. Fowles was one of eight first-team All-SEC selections and one of five that were unanimous by the coaches and one of five first-teamers and one of three unanimous choice . Fowles posting 17.5 points and a league best 15.3 rebounds in SEC games this season. The 6-6 junior center also became the first player in SEC history to record a double double in every conference games. Fowles is the ninth LSU player to repeat as first-team All-SEC, joining Joyce Walker (3), Pokey Chatman (3), Cornelia Gayden (3), Katrina Hibbert (3), Seimone Augustus (3), Alisha Jones (2), Elaine Powell (2), Marie Ferdinand (2) and Temeka Johnson (2).

Q GETS SECOND-TEAM HONORS       

Quianna Chaney was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference by the 12 league coaches. The 5-11 junior guard averaged 13.6 points in conference games this season and posted double figures in 10 of the 14 games. Chaney was a honorable mention selection by the Associated Press.

HIGHTOWER ON ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM          

Allison Hightower earned a spot on the Southeastern Conference all-freshman team by the 12 league coaches. The 5-10 freshman guard averaged 7.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in the 14 conference outings and posted double figures in two games, including a career-high 14 points against Mississippi State. 

EARLY DEGREES       

Quianna Chaney and Ashley Thomas, both true juniors, are on pace to receive their degrees in August, just under a year early. Thomas is majoring in sports management and business, while Chaney is a kinesiology major. 

LeBLANC PURSUES MORE THAT HOOPS

RaShonta LeBlanc was recently invited to be a part of the LSU College of Business Internal Auditing Program. The Port Arthur, Texas, native will begin the first series of courses in the program in the spring of 2007. LSU’s Center for Internal Auditing (LSUCIA) has been endorsed by the Institute of Internal Auditors as the Pilot School to develop an innovative educational program in internal auditing. The LSU Internal Audit program is a multidisciplinary program with students from over 30 different business and non-business majors. The LSUCIA, considered to be the premier internal audit program in the world, is a unique, dynamic educational program. It provides training to graduate and undergraduate students for developing an understanding about the Internal Auditing Profession. The program was the first university-based internal auditing training program and was established in 1985.  The LSU Center for Internal Auditing has become a model for similar programs in other schools and countries.

DANCING AGAIN!

The Lady Tigers are in the NCAA “Dance” for the 17th time in school history and for the ninth straight season. LSU made the tournament for the first time in 1984, again in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 as well as this season. The Lady Tigers own a 32-16 record in the “Dance,” including this year’s wins over UNC Ashville, West Virginia and Florida State.

FIRST ROUND SUCCESS

LSU now owns a 10-2 record in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Tigers have won 10 straight first-round games in the tournament.

AS AN AT-LARGE

This is the 15th time the Lady Tigers entered the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection. LSU is 28-13 in those tournament games. The only two times the Lady Tigers where not an at-large selection was in 1991 and 2003 after earning the Southeastern Conference automatic bid by winning the SEC Tournament. LSU has advanced to the Sweet 16 10 times (1984, 1986, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007), the Elite Eight six times (1986, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007) and the Final Four in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 as an at-large.

AS A THREE SEED

LSU received a No. 3 seed for the second time in NCAA Tournament history. The Lady Tigers now own a 7-1 record as a No. 3 seed, including this year’s wins over UNC Ashville, West Virginia, Florida State and UConn. The other wins came over Liberty, Stephen F. Austin and Duke in 2000 before falling to UConn in the regional final in Richmond, Va.

GOING AGAINST THE FIELD

LSU was matched-up with 10 different teams in 14 games with schools that made the Field of 64. The Lady Tigers posted a 7-7 record in those 14 games.

RECORD SETTING OPENING GAME

Six of LSU’s NCAA Tournament records were either broken or tied in the Lady Tigers’ 77-39 win over UNC Ashville on Saturday night. LSU’s nine 3-pointers made tied the record for the most trey’s hit in a tournament game, the 18 attempts broke the previous mark, the 10 blocked shots surpassed the previous mark of nine, the 90.9 free throw percentage tied the record and the 25 UNC Ashville turnovers tied the record for turnovers by an opponent. Individually, RaShonta LeBlanc’s five 3-pointers made tied LSU’s record.

ADVANCING TO THE “SWEET 16”

The Lady Tigers advanced to the “Sweet 16” for the 11th time in the program’s history and for the fifth straight year. LSU defeated West Virginia in the second round in Austin, Texas, to advance.

“ELITE EIGHT”

LSU reached the “Elite Eight” for the seventh time in program history and the fifth straight year with Saturday’s victory over Florida State. The Lady Tigers have reached the reached the regional final in 1986, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 in addition to 2007.

MAKE IF FOUR IN A ROW

LSU advanced to the program’s fourth NCAA Women’s Final Four and the fourth in as many years. The Lady Tigers defeated UNC Ashville, West Virginia, Florida State and Connecticut to reach the Final Four in Cleveland.

HISTORIC FOUR-PEAT

LSU is just the fourth school in NCAA Women’s Basketball history to reach four straight Final Fours. The Lady Tigers, who also advanced to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Final Four, join Tennessee (reached four straight three times), Louisiana Tech and Connecticut. UConn owns the record with five straight trips to the Final Four from 2000 to 2004, while the Lady Vols went from 1986-98, 1995-98 and again from 2002-05, and the Lady Techsters went from 1987-90.

GETTING TO KNOW THE BIG EAST

Rutgers will be LSU’s third BIG EAST opponent in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Lady Tigers edged West Virginia, 49-43, in the second round in Austin, Texas, and then upset top seeded UConn, 73-50, in the regional final in Fresno, Calif.