Plaisance ties Fowles in LSU victory

LSU junior and former Vandebilt Catholic standout Theresa Plaisance now stands in rarified air in Lady Tigers’ history.

After scoring 16 points in LSU’s 59-55 road victory over Auburn, the 6-foot, 5-inch standout has now scored double figures in 20-straight games.

Plaisance is the first Lady Tiger since former All-American and current WNBA star Sylvia Fowles to score 10 or more points in that many straight games.

The former Lady Terrier is also leading the SEC in scoring so far this season, averaging 18.2 points per game.

“I honestly had no idea I had that many consecutive games in double figures, but it’s a great feeling,” Plaisance said of the honor. “But that just goes back to my teammates and my coaches – they just have the confidence in me to give me the ball inside to get those easy layups and those easy buckets.”

Plaisance’s latest dominant performance came in a critical game for LSU.

The Lady Tigers entered Auburn with just a 3-4 record in league play – in dire need of a victory.

Plaisance scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the game, which featured multiple lead changes and 11 ties.

But the junior made a pair of critical field goals in the final five minutes of the game to put LSU on top for good.

She credits the work she put in this summer as the reason for her success.

Plaisance was a sporadic contributor in each of her first two seasons in Baton Rouge. This is her first year as a regular contributor.

“This summer, I put a lot of work in,” Plaisance said. “I got into the gym every single day and worked on my conditioning and worked on my inside game. I just became a more physical player.

“Last year, I was a little bit timid and I tried to shy away from the inside physical contact. … This year I took the challenge and accepted that I’d try and be a dominant inside force.”

Plaisance has been just that for LSU – dominant.

In addition to leading the league in scoring, Plaisance is also atop most of the league’s statistical categories.

Plaisance is first in the SEC in blocks (2.8 per game), eighth in rebounding (8.0 per game), sixth in field goal percentage (46.5 percent) and sixth in free throw percentage (74.4 percent).

She will need every one of those statistical attributes this week, as the Lady Tigers take on Tennessee tomorrow in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

After taking on the Lady Vols, LSU will host Georgia on Sunday.

Both games will be crucial for the Lady Tigers’ hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

LSU is currently listed as a bubble team by many analysts who are making their projections.