No. 5 LSU Women To Host Play4Kay Game Against Ole Miss In PMAC Thursday Night

BATON ROUGE – No. 5 LSU will host its annual Play4Kay game on Thursday night against Ole Miss at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

Associate Head Coach Bob Starkey, whose wife Sherie fought and defeated breast cancer and who is on the Kay Yow Fund board of directors, plans to donate one dollar to the Kay Yow Fund for every LSU student in attendance.

“Certainly, the Play4Kay game here and the ones played across the country are really, really important to me because of Sherie’s journey,” Coach Starkey said.

At halftime, LSU will invite breast cancer survivors and fighters to participate in a second line on the court where they will be able to pass out pink beads. No sign up is requires to participate; LSU will make an announcement for those survivors and fighters that want to participate to make their way to a designated area in order to participate in the second line.

Thursday’s game will air on the SEC Network with Eric Frede and Tamika Catchings. Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams will call the game on the LSU Sports Radio Network, 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.

LSU suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday after beginning the year 23-0. It came at No. 1 South Carolina who is now the final remaining unbeaten team in the country following Sunday’s bout. The Gamecocks, who are the defending national champions, have separated themselves as the nation’s top team and Sunday’s game gave LSU an idea of where it needs to get to as Coach Kim Mulkey continues to build her program in her second season in Baton Rouge.

In the loss, Angel Reese’s LSU record double-double streak came to an end at 23 games. Alexis Morris had 23 points in Columbia and helped LSU claw back within three in the second quarter after falling behind 18-2 right out of the gate.

With four regular season games remaining, Thursday’s matchup is a big game for both LSU and Ole Miss. The Tigers currently sit in second in the SEC and are looking to close out the season in the same spot which would mark two straight seasons finishing second in the league. Meanwhile, Ole Miss is in a fight to finish fourth in the SEC which would give the Rebels a bye at the SEC Tournament.

Ole Miss has won its past two games, both by over 20 points against Florida and Kentucky, reaching the 20-win mark for the second straight year. The Rebels have succeeded with a good defense, holding opponents to 54.7 points per game. Offensively, Ole Miss features skilled guard players who are quick and can take defenders off the dribble.

“They are very confident right now,” Coach Mulkey said.

Last season much of what Ole Miss did was centered around Shakira Austin in the post who went on to be the third overall pick in the WNBA draft by Washington. Without the same size this season, Ole Miss has used its quickness to put together another successful season. Angel Baker leads Ole Miss with 14.8 points per game, but Madison Scott and Snudda Collins also score in double-figures. Myah Taylor runs the offense effectively.

“They are very good off the dribble,” Coach Mulkey said. “They’re not as big with her (Shakira Austin) gone now but they are winning. They have adjusted.”

(Release via LSU Athletics)