Round 2 awaits

• By WILLIAM WEATHERS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Mar 24, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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The sentimental stroll down memory lane will have its place when LSU’s senior women’s basketball class takes part in its final game today at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

What won’t rival the pomp and pageantry of the program’s Senior Day activities nearly a month ago will grow in significance when the Lady Tigers eight-member senior class — including all five of their starters — take the court for the final time for what want they to be the final at home, not the end of their careers.

“I’ll probably think about it after the game,” said LSU senior point guard Erica White of the prospect of playing her final home game.
“I’m just enjoying playing right now, try to enjoy the final moments with my teammates. Not necessarily worrying about it being the end so much. Just knowing that there’s a bright beginning to something new that’s next for us. I don’t think about it being the last time as much.”

That’s because there’s still plenty of basketball left in the careers of LSU’s most successful senior class — one that remains optimistic of launching its fourth straight Final Four bid from the comforts of home where its won 53 of 56 games, losing only twice to Connecticut and once to Tennessee.

The second-seeded Lady Tigers (28-5) host seventh-seeded Marist (32-2) at about 6:07 p.m. in a NCAA tournament second-round game. The typical sappy final home game sentiment will be superseded by that of the potential finality for a group of seniors with aspirations of helping their program match UConn for consecutive appearances with five.

The game will be televised by ESPN2 and broadcast locally by WTGE, 107.3-FM.

The LSU-Marist winner advances to Saturday’s regional in New Orleans to face the Oklahoma State-Florida State winner.

“During the game you can’t really worry about it being your last home game,” LSU senior forward Ashley Thomas said. “The tournament’s about survive and advance. You have to really focus on trying to do what you know how during the game and after the game you can let all of the emotion out about it being your last game.”

Helping to keep the game in its proper context is Marist, which is seeking to make its second straight trip to the Sweet 16.

The Red Foxes shed their skin as one of the more of successful mid-majors that no one outside of their home base in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., knew about after upsetting both Ohio State and Middle Tennessee State a year ago before falling to eventual national champion Tennessee.

“We have faced Maryland at Maryland and Duke at Duke, we just like the challenge,” Marist coach Brian Giorgis said. “There’s not a lot of people out there giving us much a chance. We’ve been in that situation before. Sometimes we come through, sometimes we don’t. We don’t care. We’re just little midges and pose as much trouble as we can and hope that it’s good enough.”

Marist returned four starters from last year’s team and promptly blitzed its way through the Metro Atlantic Conference with an 18-0 record. The Red Foxes, who opened the season with a 63-57 loss at Ohio State, are currently riding the nation’s longest win streak — 23 games — after Saturday’s 76-57 first-round win over DePaul.

“If you want to compare them to somebody compare them to Marist,” White said. “I think they’ve earned that. They’re unique on offense because they can all shoot very well and on the defensive end they play very smart. They pack it in so it’s hard to penetrate against them and it will hard to get the ball into the post because it’s so crowded.”

Marist captivated those in attendance after rallying from as a much as a 13-point deficit with 14 minutes to go, tying the game at the 10-minute mark and flourishing the remainder of the way. The Red Foxes rode the strength of a 32-2 run, holding the Blue Demons without a field goal over the last 8:30 of the game.

Junior Rachel Fitz, the MAAC’s player of the year who scored 23 points in the win over DePaul, is one of two double-digit scorers with an 18.8 average followed by junior guard Julianna Viani at 10.7.

“They present a unique challenge for Sylvia (Fowles),” LSU coach Van Chancellor said of Marist. “She’ll have to guard a post player on the perimeter. But she’s pretty quick so we don’t anticipate that being a major problem. I think she presents problems for them, defensively.”

Fowles paced LSU’s 66-32 first-round win over Jackson State with 16 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals in 23 minutes. She averages 17.2 points and 9.8 rebounds to lead the Lady Tigers, while senior guard Quianna Chaney, who had 12 in her opening game, averages 14.9 points.

“The thing we talk about is trying to send this crowd off and leave this building the right way,” White said. “We just want to play well and play a smart game.”

And celebrate later.