Now that the Auburn women have had two days to get over their disappointing loss to Arkansas, the second one-win SEC team they fell to in consecutive games, the Tigers can get back to doing something they’re good at — beating ranked teams.

Of Auburn’s three conference wins, two of them have been against top-11 teams — then-No. 11 LSU on Jan. 10 in overtime and then-No. 9 Georgia on Jan. 31.

Today, the Tigers will host LSU at 3 p.m. in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The Bayou Bengals are currently ranked No. 23, and will come in looking for payback.

“I think LSU will come in here with something to prove against us,” AU head coach Nell Fortner said. “We are working hard to prepare for this game.”

Auburn also has a vested interest in today’s game, not only because it’s another ranked opponent, but because the Tigers need to get off the schneid. The women (12-13, 3-9) have lost three consecutive conference games, and seven out of their last eight.

“We’re struggling,” Fortner said Thursday after the Tigers’ 73-58 loss to last-place Arkansas. “We’re just trying to find a way to get out of the struggles. We’re in a tough place right now, but we’ll keep working and try to find the answers.”

In Auburn’s win over LSU last month, a 64-62, overtime affair, freshman point guard Morgan Toles and senior 6-foot-7 center KeKe Carrier led the way with 17 points apiece. It was a perfect mix of outside and inside success that knocked off LSU in Baton Rouge, La. That and a deep, 3-point basket by guard Alli Smalley with 4 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime.

The Tigers also limited one of the country’s best players, LSU guard Allison Hightower, to just 9 points. She’s currently averaging 19.5 points per SEC game.

They’ll have to do the same this time to have a shot a winning, Fortner said.

“I think Allison Hightower is one of the best players in this league,” Auburn’s coach said. “She is a dangerous player from a lot of areas on the floor, you always have to know where she is.

“LaSondra Barrett had a great game against us the first time we played them. So, we have to do a better job of defending her this time.”
Fortner’s right, Barrett scored a game-high 27 points in the teams’ last meeting. Barrett, a 6-2 forward, is averaging 16.5 points per conference contest.

Stopping both of them is key for Auburn, but so is figuring out why they’ve struggled so much lately, said forward Jordan Greenleaf.

“We need to buckle down,” the redshirt junior said after the Arkansas game. “We’ve been having good practices. We’re buckling down and trying to get back on track.”

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