Thornton scores 38, Tigers net first SEC win

Marcus Thornton scored 38 points on Wednesday night at Auburn, but his final points turned out to be the most important as he sunk his eighth three-pointer of the game with 3.8 seconds for an 81-80 victory.

The victory marked the first SEC win of the season for the Tigers (8-12, 1-5) and ended a road losing streak that dated back to last year.

Thornton’s effort was the most points scored by an LSU player in nearly 13 years (Ronnie Henderson scored 40 against Alabama on Feb. 11, 1995).

The last LSU Tiger win on the road this season came over Oregon State on Dec. 22.

Anthony Randolph added 21 points for LSU, while Terry Martin had 11 points.

Lady Tigers rout South Carolina

No. 8 LSU won its eighth-consecutive game with a 67-37 win over South Carolina Thursday night in Baton Rouge.

The Lady Tigers (17-3 overall, 6-0 in the SEC) led by 11 points at the half, but outscored South Carolina 36-17 in the second half en route to the victory.

Quianna Chaney and Sylvia Fowles each scored 14 points in very limited action.

Chaney had four assists and three steals, while Fowles grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. RaShonta LeBlanc added 10 points and five assists.

BASKETBALL TICKETS ON SALE

Individual-game tickets for the 2008 LSU baseball season will go on sale at 8 a.m. on Thursday, February 7.

Tickets are available for all 36 LSU home games.

The Tigers open the season on Friday, February 22 at 7 p.m. versus Indiana in Alex Box Stadium. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 3 to12.

Youth tickets for the April 23 game versus McNeese State are just $1 each.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.lsusports.net, by phone at (225) 578.2184 or in person at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office on North Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge.

Tickets for groups of 10 or more are only $4 each for the Tigers’ non-conference games (excluding Tulane and UL-Lafayette) and for the SEC series versus Arkansas.

For more information on group tickets, call (225) 578.6659 or e-mail tomh@lsu.edu.

SOFTBALL TEAM TABBED SECOND

The LSU softball team was picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference Western Division in a preseason poll by the league’s coaches.

The Tigers earned 19 points for a second-place ranking in the SEC West, eight points behind Alabama, which was picked to win the division.

Florida is picked to win the SEC Eastern Division. Alabama was also picked to win the overall SEC title with eight championship votes, while Florida had two championship votes and LSU recorded one championship vote.

Season tickets are still available for the 2008 softball season for $60 (reserved seats), while single-game tickets are available at a cost of $5 for adults and $3 for youth.

Fans are encouraged to get their season tickets this year to guarantee great seats in the new Tiger Park for next season.

Fans can purchase tickets online at the official web site of LSU Athletics, www.LSUsports.net, at the ticket office or by calling (225) 578-2184 or (800) 960-8587.

LSU students, faculty and staff are admitted free to regular season games with an LSU ID. The Lady Tigers are No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today Preseason Poll released recently.

The SEC Tournament will be held from May 8 through 10 at Tiger Park, the first time the Tigers will host the event.

The three-day single-elimination tournament will determine the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

LSU has advanced to the championship game eight times in the last nine seasons, winning the title an unprecedented five times, including last season when the Tigers defeated Florida, 1-0, in nine innings.

Tickets for the tournament also went on sale at the LSU Ticket Office, along with regular season tickets.

Tournament books are available for $20 each for adults and $10 each for youth between the ages of 3 and 12.

All children under three get into Tiger Park for free.

The 2008 and final season in the current Tiger Park will begin with the Easton Tiger Classic on Feb. 15 through 17. The Tigers will host St John’s, Ball State, Nicholls State and Chattanooga in the three-day tournament.