The SHSU LadyKats basketball team will host Louisiana-Monroe Thursday night at Johnson Coliseum.
The LadyKats go into Thursday’s game with a conference record of 2-6 and an overall record of 4-10. Coach Erika Ritter still believes her team has a shot at post-season play, but knows they have to win the remaining games.
“Every team we play now, we have to beat if we want to get to the conference tournament,” Ritter said. “Every game for us should be a championship game, because we can’t afford to get too many more losses.”
The first team standing in the way of the LadyKats is the Louisiana-Monroe Lady Indians.
Fortunately for the Kats, they are equipped with several offensive weapons. Alice Johnson, who is second in the Southland Conference with a 17.1 points per game average, Stacy Allen, who is averaging 16.2 per game, and Kelley Kramer, who is leading the conference with 35 three-pointers will all have to step up for the LadyKats.
The Lady Indians, however, will be bringing some offense of their own.
“They always have very good shooting guards on the perimeter,” Ritter said.
ULM’s Nicole Cox is shooting 40 percent from behind the three-point line and D’Wayna Freeman is shooting 33 percent. Cox, however, is shooting 30 percent in conference play, which should prove to be a good sign for the LadyKats.
Ritter said if the LadyKats want to win the game, they would need to do it with their defense.
“We’re going to have to have a well balanced defensive attack,” she said.
Johnson is third in the conference with 29 steals, but unfortunately for the Kats, the two players ahead of her belong to ULM. Michelle Biley has robbed a total of 36 players of the ball and teammate Nina Randle is leading the conference with 47.
The LadyKats are in a three-way tie for the seventh and eight spot in the standings of the Southland Conference with Nicholls and McNeese.
The team is looking to further themselves in the standings and keep postseason hopes alive Thursday, and Ritter thinks her team can do it.
“I think it’s a matter of us executing our system,” she said.
The LadyKats tip off at 5:30 p.m. The game will feature the first carry over of the famous couch potato section from SHSU football games.