The Daily Reveille - February 24, 2012

Greek Life: Johnson asks sororities and fraternities to pack the PMAC, p. 3

Softball: Lady Tigers gear up for four weekend games, p. 6

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Women’s Basketball: Lady Tigers defeat Vandy, 69-66, p. 5 Friday, February 24, 2012 • Volume 116, Issue 96

ADMINISTRATION

Lombardi responds to merger report

Plan would combine LSUS, La. Tech

Finding your Center

University graduate to open yoga studio on West Chimes Street

by Kate Mabry • Staff Writer

Andrea Gallo News Editor

happiness,” is changing the traditional norms for a yoga studio, LaVie said.

During the grand opening, LaVie will offer Swan River yoga, a style unique to the Swan River studio in New Orleans, at 10 a.m.

Align and integrate, a style of yoga “designed to help you get deeper into the physical body” through alignment, will be offered with Jen

LSU System President John Lombardi responded Thursday to rumors of a merger between LSU Shreveport and Louisiana Tech University that have risen after a report was released suggesting the combination.

The report came from Eva Klein & Associates, a consulting company with the mission to “support the success of higher education institutions.” Klein emphasized when she released the report that it was merely composed of recommendations, but Lombardi’s e-mail took a

YOGA, see page 4

MERGER, see page 4

AUSTIN BENNETT / The Daily Reveille

Louie LaVie (right), LSU alumnus and owner of Mulananda Yoga, leads a class Monday at the new studio on West Chimes Street.

As students rush through the hustle and bustle of the semester, a new yoga studio will offer the chance to find some serenity.

Louie LaVie, a 2008 University alumnus, is opening a yoga studio called Mulananda Yoga on West Chimes Street. The store’s grand opening is set for March 3, and LaVie said he hopes to start classes as soon as possible.

Mulananda, which means “rooted in pure

ORGANIZATIONS

Tiger Uppercut gaming club is a hit Gordon Brillon Contributing Writer

ALYSSA SIRISOPHON / The Daily Reveille

Troy Loeffler (front) and Mick Barretto (rear) compete in “Street Fighter IV” on Feb. 16 during Tiger Uppercut’s meeting in Tureaud Hall.

Sometimes it’s more than just a game.

That’s certainly the case for the members of Tiger Uppercut, a student organization with a mission statement “to create a competitive and social environment similar to arcades for fighting game players.”

Formed in 2007, Tiger Uppercut is a haven for gamers who want to do a little more than blow off steam at the end of the day.

“We get a lot of people who hear about us and think, ‘Oh, I want to join the video game

club,’” said club president and studio art junior Sarah Harper with a laugh. “They usually don’t last very long.”

The members of Tiger Uppercut participate in local, regional and national competitions, playing games like “Marvel vs.

Capcom 3” and “The King of Fighters XIII.” They say the thing that attracted them to the club was the opportunity to compete at a high level but in a friendly atmosphere.

“I grew up with arcades, something they don’t have in Baton Rouge anymore,” said Daniel Lusk, two-year Tiger Uppercut veteran and experimental

statistics graduate student. “You can play online, but it really can’t replace face-to-face competition.”

The club provides that in spades. A usual meeting, held on Thursday evenings in a Tureaud Hall classroom, sees the members gradually file in over time, carrying shoulder bags full of electronics. Bearing arcade-style controllers, flat-screen monitors and Xbox 360s, the gamers set up and get down to business.

To an outside observer unfamiliar with the genre, an Uppercut meeting could be intimidating, UPPERCUT, see page 4

The Daily Reveille

Nation & World

page 2

INTERNATIONAL

Friday, February 24, 2012

NATIONAL

STATE/LOCAL

Female heir, future queen born to Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria

Man charged after cooking own meal at Denny’s, posing as manager

Houma man uses ‘practical joke’ to fight breast cancer

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria gave birth to her first child Thursday, a baby girl who will one day become queen, prompting banner headlines and 21-gun salutes across the country.

The news gave the royal family a respite from the negative headlines that have dogged King Carl XVI Gustaf, Victoria’s father, after a 2010 book made scandalous claims about his private life.

The girl was born at 4:26 a.m., said Victoria’s husband, Prince Daniel.

Argentine commuter train crash kills 50 and injures hundreds

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A man who claimed to be the new manager of a Denny’s restaurant in Wisconsin and then cooked himself a cheeseburger and fries is facing charges.

Police as 52-year-old James Summers, wearing a tie and carrying a briefcase, claimed he was sent by Denny’s corporate office Tuesday to be the new manager at the restaurant in Madison. The current manager told him he must have the wrong restaurant. Summers told her she apparently had not received the memo about the change in leadership.

Teen tries to hit passengers, references bin Laden on flight

HOUMA (AP) — A Houma man calls it a practical joke that also raises money to fight breast cancer.

For a minimum donation of $25, Wayne Bunch will plant 25 or more plastic pink flamingos in an unsuspecting neighbor’s yard.

The display will include a sign telling the pranked friend that they can have the birds retrieved — or planted in someone else’s yard — for a $25 donation.

Bunch said he is undertaking the effort to honor the memory of his mother.

Blast from a boiler failure at Calumet rattles neighborhood

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentines desperately searched hospitals Thursday in hopes that loved ones survived a train crash that killed 50 people and sent hundreds to emergency rooms. The government declared two days of mourning, with flags flying at half staff across the nation.

A federal judge led an investigation into what caused the commuter train to slam into a barrier at the end of the track at a downtown station, crumpling cars around 1,500 riders on Wednesday.

EMAD MATTI / The Associated Press

An Iraqi firefighter hoses down a burned bus Feb. 23 after a car bomb attack in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, Iraq.

Widespread shootings and bombings kill 55 across Iraq BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombs and deadly shootings relentlessly pounded Iraqis on Thursday, killing at least 55 people and wounding more than 225 in a widespread wave of violence the government called a “frantic attempt” by insurgents to prove the country will never be stable.

Cars burned, school desks were bloodied, bandaged victims lay in hospitals and pools of blood were left with the wounded on floors of bombed businesses after the day-long series of attacks in 12 cities across Iraq.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Saudi Arabian teenager has been indicted on charges of interfering with a flight crew after authorities alleged he tried to hit fellow passengers, took a swing at a flight attendant and referred to Osama bin Laden during a flight to Houston.

Police arrested 19-year-old Yazeed Mohammed A. Abunayyan on Tuesday night at Portland International Airport after his Continental Airlines flight turned around after the incident.

SHREVEPORT (AP) — Neighbors of Calumet Shreveport Lubricants and Waxes had a late-morning scare Thursday.

Several told KTBS-TV that they heard a loud noise and felt the ground shake after a boiler failed at the facility.

Company officials say after completing maintenance work on a boiler, staff tried to restart the device and, as a result, the boiler blew. There were no injuries or hazardous materials released, and the incident did not impact the plant’s daily processes.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

ChilLY hates rain but loves to steal food off the coffee table!

Reveille

Read about iPad 3 rumors on “Tech with Taylor” on the LMFAO entertainment blog.

“Bound for Books” tackles short stories on the LMFAO entertainment blog.

The Tiger Feed sports blog previews the NBA All-Star game.

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AUSTIN BENNETT / The Daily Reveille

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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

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The Daily Reveille

Friday, February 24, 2012

GREEK LIFE

page 3

Athletics Dept. works to increase student attendance at games Claire Caillier

Contributing Writer

Greeks and athletics are creating a closer bond for positive exposure on both sides of the court.

The Athletics Department is campaigning to bring more Greek students to home basketball games to jumpstart better student attendance.

“We are working to cultivate a student environment,” said Peter Brandstatter, graduate assistant of marketing and promotions for LSU Athletics. “Students make the atmosphere. We want the PMAC to be the place to be.”

The Athletics Department targeted the Greek community because it is one of the largest organizations on campus, Brandstatter said. He said he hopes if Greeks are affected, they will spread their energy to other campus groups.

Promoting basketball games began in the fall, when LSU men’s

basketball coach Trent Johnson visited sorority and fraternity houses to establish relationships with the students.

“Those relationships are important to Coach,” Brandstatter said.

“Talking to the Greeks showed them he is just a regular person.”

Since Johnson’s visits, Brandstatter said he has seen an increase in Greek involvement in events hosted by athletics.

“In our dodgeball tournament in the fall, of the 32 teams, a quarter of them were Greeks,” Brandstatter said.

“Greek Dat at the PMAC,” an annual event where Greeks present a check to a philanthropy organization during halftime, will be held in conjunction with the men’s basketball game against Tennessee on Feb. 29, according to Sarah Lichterman, mass communication junior and Greek Board of Directors public relations director.

This year the check will be presented to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge in the amount of $183,061, according to Lichterman.

Lichterman said she wanted to make this year’s event more about Greeks. Pi Beta Phi, winners of the fall step show, will perform after the check is presented.

Greeks will also be able to participate in a social event before the game.

Two sororities or fraternities with the largest percentage of attendees will receive a $500 prize, according to Avery Miller, graduate assistant of marketing and promotions for LSU Athletics.

Lichterman said the money will be donated to the respective charity of the Greek affiliation.

“The ultimate goal of Greek Dat is to ramp Greeks up for Greek Week,” Lichterman said.

Lichterman said Greek Dat is an

photo courtesy of STEVE FRANZ / LSU Athletics

LSU basketball coach Trent Johnson visited sorority and fraternity houses in the fall to establish relationships with the students and increase Greek involvement in athletics.

opportunity to show the community what Greeks do.

“Greek Dat shows what the Greek community does for Habitat for Humanity, and it shows LSU there are student organizations

on campus that do great things,” Lichterman said.

Contact Claire Caillier at ccaillier@lsureveille.com

RESIDENTIAL LIFE

Students discuss LGBTQ stereotypes in campus communities Marylee Williams Contributing Writer

Nicholas Gautreaux moved into the Pentagon last year as an openly gay freshman.

The English sophomore said he first thought being homosexual would affect his dorm experience, but he was surprised to find his sexual orientation wasn’t an issue.

Gautreaux said his best experience in the Pentagon was one

night when about 30 mostly male residents joined him at Splash, a local gay bar. It showed how comfortable people from his residence hall were with his sexual orientation, he said.

In an effort to proliferate positive experiences, ResLife Pride, an organization meant to create safe and positive residential experiences for LGBT students, hosted “Hot Topic: LGBTQ Stereotypes” on Thursday night. Students at the event discussed

stereotypes of LGBT residents.

Gautreaux said members of this community are faced with discrimination frequently, but he doesn’t let stereotypes affect him.

A stereotype addressed at the event was the misconception that all homosexual men have AIDS, which hit close to home for Gautreaux.

When he lived in the Pentagon, someone started a rumor that he was HIV positive, he said.

He said being HIV positive is

his greatest fear, and the most common stereotype for homosexual men.

Allie Miller, residence life coordinator for the Horseshoe, said students frequently seek out ResLife Pride for advice on coming out to their roommates.

Students also discussed the stereotype that homosexuals will be attracted to their roommates.

Gautreaux said he told his first roommate about being homosexual before they moved in

together, and the roommate asked to be reassigned.

Gautreaux said he was afraid he would never find a roommate, but the next roommate better respected his sexuality.

Contact Marylee Williams at mwilliams@lsureveille.com

DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE? Call Becky at the Student Media Office 578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or E-mail: oncampus@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

page 4 YOGA, from page 1

Richards, another instructor, at 11 a.m.

Mulananda will be open the afternoon of the grand opening for guests to ask questions, get to know the teachers and check out the studio. Free food, drinks and drumming entertainment will also be available.

LaVie said customers aren’t required to sign up for any memberships, but eight-day packages are offered for $96, while unlimited monthly packages are available to students for $100 and non-students for $120.

The student rate for one class is $10 with a University ID and $14 for non-students.

LaVie said his yoga studio will offer both private and group classes taught by a diverse group of teachers who are certified in different styles of yoga.

“Students can find the style they like,” LaVie said.

Along with yoga classes, LaVie, who is also certified in Thai massage therapy, will offer 70-minute massages for $70 and is in the process of hiring two traditional message therapists.

LaVie said he also may sell T-shirts and yoga attire at the studio.

“There may be some yoga clothes, but nothing too expensive,” he said.

Contractors are still working on the building’s last improvements, LaVie said. Aesthetic enhancements, like painting, tiling and sanding the floors, are already complete.

“We also ripped out both bathrooms,” he said. “It’s going to look pretty brand new in there.”

LaVie said he hopes students comprise a large portion of his

MERGER, from page 1

different tone.

“The consultant report promoting a merger of LSUS and Louisiana Tech issued recently represents that a reorganization is likely to place authority for all LSU units on the LSU A&M campus and consolidate the various units into that campus in Baton Rouge,” Lombardi wrote.

While Klein’s report focused on ways to enhance LSUS and its surrounding community, Lombardi countered it in his e-mail with the system’s plan of a “Work Group” that will explore reorganizations to “enhance the success” of individual system units.

Klein’s report suggested that if the two merge, they should move under the University of Louisiana System, where La. Tech is currently housed. If LSUS did join the UL System, it would be the second LSU system institution to do so in the last year; the University of New Orleans left the LSU System for UL in December.

LSU’s Director of External Affairs, Jason Droddy, said the talk of merging goes back at least a decade.

Droddy said the original discussions suggested combining LSUS, La. Tech and the LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport. The combination of the two

Friday, February 24, 2012 UPPERCUT, from page 1

AUSTIN BENNETT / The Daily Reveille

Louie LaVie, LSU alumnus and owner of Mulananda Yoga, demonstrates a yoga position Monday at the new studio on West Chimes Street.

customers, but nearby community members are also welcome.

“I’m just very excited that the location is so close to campus,” he said.

LaVie began practicing yoga shortly after graduation.

“College can be stressful,” he said. “I wish I would have found yoga before I graduated.”

Following graduation, LaVie accepted a job working as a grief counselor for a hospice company in Baton Rouge and then took a promotion and moved back to his hometown of New Orleans. He found his job emotionally difficult, and each day he felt stressed and emotionally drained.

He began attending yoga classes at Swan River in New Orleans and found that the exercise was more than just a workout.

“It’s a stress release,” he said.

“I had a feeling of peace and balance after, something I had never found with anything else in my

life before.”

LaVie said he didn’t initially know what to expect from yoga, but after reading about its benefits and experiencing its healing power, he knew he wanted to focus more of his time on the art.

“I finally said, ‘I can’t do this any longer.’ I loved yoga so much that I knew I wanted to take up a teaching certification,” he said.

LaVie said he hopes yoga will impact his customers as they share an experience together.

“Over the years of practicing, it’s become clearer to me that it is more than just a workout,” he said. “I want to spend the rest of my life sharing this with other people and sharing what has positively impacted and changed my life with others.”

colleges with the addition of a medical center would create a similar entity to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Droddy said.

The addition of the medical center at UAB makes it a “very potent research program,” according to Droddy.

“Some people believed Shreveport could be something similar to UAB,” he said.

Klein’s proposed merger, however, only suggests merging LSUS and La. Tech without mentioning LSUHSC Shreveport.

Lombardi’s e-mail also emphasizes that reorganization

decisions cannot be made without the Board of Supervisors.

Charles Zewe, LSU System vice president for communication and external affairs, refused to further explain Lombardi’s email to The Daily Reveille. As of press time, The Daily Reveille could not reach Chancellor Michael Martin for comment.

The report will be further discussed at Tuesday’s Board of Regents meeting.

Contact Kate Mabry at kmabry@lsureveille.com

Contact Andrea Gallo at agallo@lsureveille.com

Harper said. The air is filled with banter and technical jargon, and eyes are trained on screens and controllers at all times.

“It can be hard for people who aren’t already skilled at fighting games to get into them,” Harper said. “But we’re very open and accepting. We have a loyal group now, and it’s the members that make the group work.”

Andrew Sananikone, a fellow member, agreed the club is supportive.

“They let me join even though I’m not an LSU student,” he said with a beaming smile.

Despite — or perhaps because of — the banter, smack talk and competitive atmosphere, Tiger Uppercut is a tight-knit community. Members say even though they came for the competition and to increase their skills, they keep going because they are now all friends.

“I hang out with these guys all the time,” Harper said.

“Not just to play games, though we do all go to tournaments together, too.”

Tiger Uppercut competes in weekly tournaments at gaming stores in Baton Rouge, as well as larger regional and national tournaments. Last weekend they competed in Battle for the South 3 in Kenner, which touts itself as “the premiere fighting game tournament in the South.”

Later this year, they will also participate in Final Round 15 in Atlanta and the world-renowned Evolution Championship Series tournament in Las Vegas.

They don’t tend to win at these major tournaments, but the Tiger Uppercut members said they enjoy the experience of facing top-level competition while taking satisfaction in vying for regional supremacy.

“We’re pretty much always trying to keep up with New Orleans — that’s where the top players in the state are,” Harper said. “But yeah, we gatekeep Lafayette at tournaments.”

Contact Gordon Brillon at gbrillon@lsureveille.com

Read about the track and field, swimming and men’s golf teams’ weekend matches at lsureveille.com/sports.

Sports

Friday, February 24, 2012

page 5

Senior Farewell

MEN’S BASKETBALL

LSU rolls into the ‘Tad Pad’

Five seniors play last regular season game in PMAC Scott Branson Sports Contributor

The LSU women’s basketball defeated No. 24 Vanderbilt, 69-66, Thursday on Senior Night, anchored by senior forward LaSondra Barrett’s game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lady Tigers won their sixth straight game and now sit tied for third in the Southeastern Conference with Georgia and Arkansas with one game to play in the regular season. LSU (20-8, 10-5 SEC) is now in contention to earn a top-three seed in the SEC tournament, which would earn a first-round bye.

“We’ve got some unfinished business,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. “If they come with that same type of intensity and attitude, they will definitely go out of here on a great note.”

In a back-and-forth game, LSU dominated on the boards and made a seasonhigh 26 free throws on 33 attempts.

Vanderbilt (20-8, 8-7 SEC) leaned on the 3-pointer throughout the contest, converting 10-of-25 attempts beyond the arc.

Barrett earned her sixth double-double of the season and said Caldwell encouraged the team to play tough to limit

Vanderbilt’s high-scoring attack.

“When we shut them down and limited their threes, got a couple turnovers at the end, I think we started gaining the momentum,” Barrett said. “I just wanted to play tougher than whoever was guarding me or whoever was trying to boxing me out.”

Caldwell said Barrett took advantage of a breather on the bench in order to come through for the Lady Tigers in the game’s final minutes. “[Barrett] had a little bit more wind underneath her and her legs down the stretch,” Caldwell said. “She did come up with some key rebounds.”

Senior forward Taylor Turnbow, who added six points and four rebounds, said the pregame ceremony to honor the five graduating seniors helped the Lady Tigers early on in the contest.

“Our emotions coming into Senior Night only helped us get momentum going into the first half,” Turnbow said. “Feeling so special tonight helped us start the game.”

Senior guard Destini Hughes, who suffered a season-ending knee injury SENIORS, see page 11

Rebels await streaking Tigers Chris Abshire Sports Writer

CATHERINE THRELKELD / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior forward LaSondra Barrett grabs a rebound Thursday during the Tigers’ victory against the Commodores in the PMAC.

Seniors had 278 combined starts for the Tigers

DESTINI HUGES guard

44 career starts 370 points 110 steals 207 assists

COURTNEY JONES forward 47 career starts 764 points 79 steals 127 assists

SWAYZE BLACK forward

18 career starts 168 points 35 steals 25 assists

TAYLOR TURNBOW forward 61 career starts 495 points 61 steals 56 assists

LASONDRA BARRETT forward 108 career starts 1466 points 129 steals 243 assists

After LSU’s 81-55 rout of Ole Miss on Jan. 7 in the PMAC, the Tigers lost five of their next six games.

As the two teams prepare for Saturday’s rematch, LSU (17-10, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) has now won five of its last six games, sits in fourth place in the Next up for SEC and holds the Tigers: serious NCAA To u r n a m e n t Who: LSU (17-10, aspirations.

7-6) vs. Ole Miss “It’s just (15-12, 5-8) a matter of what we do When: 12:45 p.m. between now Where: Tad Smith and the end of Coliseum in the season to get where we Oxford, Miss. want to be,” Watch or said LSU ju- listen at home: nior center Justin Hamilton. SEC Network/ “That starts WAFB or 100.7 FM with going to Ole Miss and getting a good road win.”

The Tigers’ road failures this season are well chronicled, but they finally got on the board with a win Feb. 18 at South Carolina.

REBELS, see page 11

BASEBALL

LSU to face App. State as team adjusts to new season Final lineup spot not yet finalized Hunter Paniagua Sports Writer

The No. 7 LSU baseball team is a work in progress.

After four victories, LSU coach Paul Mainieri still has some things he’s sorting out, taking advantage of some lesser competition to experiment and determine how to best utilize his squad.

Mainieri has made four different lineups, sent 16 batters to the plate and used 12 pitchers throughout LSU’s first four games. That process will continue as the Tigers (4-0) host Appalachian State (2-1) for a weekend series beginning at 7 p.m. today.

“The nice thing about playing them to not be a very good team, at home is our players come out and the contrary is true. They are to the field early,” Mainieri said. as experienced a team as you’ll “They get extra work ever play.”

Next up for in the batting cages.

The MountainThis is a time for them eers return 22 letthe Tigers: to develop and continterwinners from last Who: LSU (4-0) vs. ue to improve.” year’s team, which As LSU has Appalachian State (2-1) finished 33-27 and earned easy victories When: 7 p.m. today; 15-15 in the Southin most of its games ern Conference. Apthis season, Main- 2 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. palachian State won ieri has worked sev- Sunday two games against eral freshmen into Where: Alex Box Stadium Akron last weekend the fold, with catcher after suffering a seaTyler Moore and util- Listen at home: 98.1 FM son-opening loss to ity player Jared Foster contributing a combined six RBIs. But Mainieri warned against fans assuming LSU will cruise against Appalachian State.

“They’re a good team that nobody’s heard of in these parts,” Mainieri said. “Everybody expects

George Mason.

Appalachian State’s starting pitchers senior Seth Grant and junior Rob Marcello combined to throw 11 scoreless innings with a combined 13 strikeouts during the BASEBALL, see page 11

CONNOR TARTER / The Daily Reveille

LSU freshman hurler Cody Glenn throws a pitch Wednesday during the Tigers’ 11-4 victory against McNeese State in Alex Box Stadium.

page 6

GYMNASTICS

The Daily Reveille

Friday, February 24, 2012

Lady Tigers anticipate rematch with undefeated Alabama tri-meet against No. 23 Washington with Seattle Pacific.

“We’re hoping Friday to see betThe LSU gymnastics team’s up- ter than we’ve seen the last three outperclassmen haven’t forgotten the ings,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. last time Alabama rolled into the “I think if we’re better than we’ve PMAC. been the last three outings, it could The Tigers upset be anybody’s competithe top-ranked Crimtion, no matter what Next up for the son Tide two years anybody’s ranked.” ago at home, 196.475LSU posted its Lady Tigers: 196.050, and have two highest scores in a chance to defeat a Who: LSU (4-7, 2-3) vs. its last two meets with higher-ranked Alabama Alabama (8-0, 5-0) a 196.85 and a 196.45, squad again tonight. respectively, and the When: 7 p.m. today “When we beat team’s confidence has them in 2010, it was Where: PMAC soared directly with really exciting,” said Watch at home: ESPNU its scores. Lee said the senior Ashley Lee. “I Tigers won’t be overthink we went into it whelmed when they see expecting a win. We knew we had a top-three team in the Tide. the talent.”

“I think they’re beatable,” Lee Lee said No. 13 LSU (4- said. “We’re just as good. The tal7, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) ent’s there, and the difficulty’s there.” has the same feeling this season Freshmen Rheagan Courville as it prepares to host undefeated and Jessie Jordan posted seasonNo. 3 Alabama (8-0, 5-0). The Ti- highs in the all-around with a 39.50 gers have posted a score of 196 or and a 39.40, respectively, a week ago better in each of their last three in Washington. meets, most recently winning their Another freshman, Randi Lau,

Rowan Kavner

Sports Contributor

competed in vault for just the second time this season and tied for the title in the event with a season-high 9.90, while sophomore Maliah Mathis posted a season-high 9.875 on the apparatus.

“It was a really great feeling,” Lau said. “It was an experience I’ve never had before, and it was so great to share it with my team and having everyone support me and knowing they’re there for me.”

The LSU gymnasts were shorthanded in the event, as freshman Lloimincia Hall had to sit out of the vault and bars for the first time this season while resting an injured ankle. She is expected to compete in the all-around again this weekend.

Alabama knows about success on the vault, as the Crimson Tide rank first in the nation in the event with a 49.421 average. Their success in the other events hardly declines, as Alabama ranks in the top 10 nationally in each apparatus.

The Crimson Tide has posted two team scores of 197 or higher this season, but both came at home.

Breaux said she thinks LSU is

AUSTIN BENNETT / The Daily Reveille

LSU freshman gymnast Jesse Jordan scored a 9.850 in her floor routine Jan. 13 during a meet against Auburn on in the PMAC.

also capable of reaching that score at home.

“We have been very methodical in the growth process with this team,” Breaux said.

“We have the potential to be a 197

SOFTBALL

Tigers carry first winning record of season

the team going into the weekend.

“We come in with a lot of momentum, especially beating Utah For the first time in the young State,” she said. “Coming off of season, the LSU softball team will that, having strong practices, getgo into a game with a winning re- ting things accomplished in order to prepare for this weekend, we come cord.

The No. 25 Tigers (5-4) are highly motivated because we want to keep a positive efriding back-to-back fort.” shutouts into their Next up for the LSU notched games Saturday Lady Tigers: two wins and two against South Alalosses at last weekbama and McNeese Who: LSU (5-4) vs. South end’s Louisville SlugState.

Alabama (4-3) ger Desert Classic in LSU isn’t the only team coming When: 12:30 p.m. Saturday Las Vegas, beating Cal State Northridge, into the weekend with Where: Tiger Park some momentum, Watch at home: Cox Sports 11-0, and Utah State, 13-0, and falling to though.

DePaul, 3-1, and No. South Alabama Television 3 California, 14-3. brings a three-game LSU coach Beth winning streak to Who: LSU (5-4) vs. McNeese Torina said she’s foTiger Park on Saturcusing on improving day, and the Jaguars State (9-4) the team instead of are armed with the When: 3 p.m. Saturday dwelling on the TiSun Belt Conference Where: Tiger Park gers’ losses.

Preseason Pitcher of “The [Calithe Year, sophomore fornia] score was a Who: LSU (5-4) vs. South Hannah Campbell. little bit one-sided, After a game Alabama (4-3) but they’ve done against South Alathat to several teams bama, the Tigers will When: 3 p.m. Sunday this year,” she said. take on a McNeese Where: Tiger Park “We’ve continued to State team that is reget better every time, ceiving votes in one and I think that’s all poll and has notched Who: LSU (5-4) vs. Alcorn you can ask for at this wins against Oregon State (5-6) time of the year.”

State, Arizona State When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday Torina said the and Houston. The DePaul game highCowgirls have won Where: Tiger Park lighted some of five straight games.

“We’re going to focus on South LSU’s problems.

The Tigers gave up three inAlabama because they’re our first game,” said sophomore infielder field singles in the seventh inning, Allison Falcon. “We’re going to which led to the game-winning runs prepare mostly for them, then focus for the Blue Demons.

“We definitely worked on our on the rest.”

Freshman utility player Dylan defense a little more in the infield Supak said wins against Utah State after the DePaul game,” she said. and Southeastern Louisiana in the “That was a factor there in the Tigers’ last two games have inspired seventh inning.”

Albert Burford

Sports Contributor

Defense hasn’t been a consistent problem for LSU, though.

In each of the Tigers’ wins, they have shut out their opponents, but have yet to score more than three runs in a loss.

“We’ve shown signs of having defense, having offense and having our pitching at some point already

in all the games that we’ve played,” Torina said. “The day when we can get it all together, I think that’s the day we’re looking for — that’s the day we become unstoppable.”

Contact Albert Burford at aburford@lsureveille.com

with this team, and that’s always our goal.”

Contact Rowan Kavner at rkavner@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

Friday, February 24, 2012

MEN’S TENNIS

CLUB SPORTS

Lacrosse squares off with Ole Miss

Tigers hope to claim first win of season Morgan Wampold Sports Contributor

XERXES A. WILSON / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior tennis player Neal Skupski cracks a serve in the Tigers’ match against Clemson on Feb. 2 at W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium.

Tigers to host three matches over weekend LSU faces Tulane, Texas A&M, UNO Ian Fontenot Sports Contributor

The LSU men’s tennis team (3-2) returns to the court tonight to kick off a busy weekend of action after a 20-day absence. The Tigers will take on in-state rival Tulane (4-3) before a doubleheader against No. 12 Texas A&M (6-3) and New Orleans (1-1) on Sunday at home.

The match against the Green Wave was originally Next up for scheduled the Tigers: for Feb. Who: LSU (3-2) vs.

10 but was Tulane (4-3), No. 12 pushed back Texas A&M (6-3) and to Feb. 15 after a rainNew Orleans (1-1) out. InclemWhen: 5 p.m. today, ent weather 1 p.m. Sunday and 7 then forced another p.m. Sunday postponeWhere: W.T. ‘Dub’ ment.

Robinson Stadium “[The break] has been a little longer than we would have liked,” said LSU coach Jeff Brown. “We would have liked to have competed a little bit in between that break, but I think it can certainly be viewed as a positive.”

The Tigers used their time away from action to prepare for a tough Southeastern Conference schedule that will feature 11 ranked opponents including seven teams in the top 25.

“Once we found out that the matches weren’t on, we got back in the weight room and have been able to do quite a bit of conditioning we weren’t expecting to be able to do,” Brown said. “We’re a little more prepared for this run that’s about take place with these matches and then leading into the SEC.” LSU will face future SEC opponent Texas A&M Sunday.

The Tigers will send out the No. 23-ranked pair of Olivier Borsos and Chris Simpson, while the Aggies will bring two ranked pairs in No. 36 Colin Hoover and John Lewis and No. 55 Junior Ore and Jackson Withrow.

page 7

The Aggies also boast the No. 15 singles player in the country, Alexis Klegou, who aided in the team’s 4-0 start.

“Regardless of who is ranked higher, it’s always a very competitive match,” Brown said. “We’ve got a great rivalry, and it should only increase now that they are joining the conference.”

LSU will face UNO for part two of Sunday’s doubleheader. The Privateers have been limited in action this season as the weather has caused three postponed matches, including the originally scheduled Feb. 10 match against the Tigers.

Contact Ian Fontenot at ifontenot@lsureveille.com

The LSU men’s lacrosse club (0-2) squares off with Ole Miss (1-4) on Saturday in New Orleans’ Pan American Stadium with hopes of nabbing its first victory of the spring.

The squad’s two losses to start the season came at the hands of Alabama and Northeastern.

The Crimson Tide routed the Tigers, 15-3, while Northeastern squeaked out an 11-9 win.

Sophomore attackman Jordan Ramirez said the Tigers haven’t lost the confidence with which they started the season despite the rough beginning for the squad’s spring campaign.

“We haven’t had the best start, but it isn’t for lack of effort,” Ramirez said. “No one’s letting that keep us down, and we’re just as aggressive as ever.”

Members of the team have managed to put up impressive numbers in the squad’s two matches, with senior Jacob Most leading the pack.

Most was last year’s leading scorer and appears to be on his way to repeating that, notching five total points with three goals and two assists so far.

Sophomore midfielder Michael Goodrich has also played a role in keeping the team competitive so far.

Goodrich hasn’t scored yet,

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but managed two assists in the it past the Rebel keeper. first two games this season.

“We need to overpower them “Michael has been pretty with a stronger offensive presmuch controlling the entire flow ence than we’ve had and not give of the offense,” said freshman them any breaks,” Battista said. goalie Rick Battista.

Ramirez said eliminating erThe Rebels, a member of rors shown in the previous two the Southeastern Lacrosse Con- matches can give the Tigers the ference, enter Saturedge over the Rebels day’s match with one on Saturday.

Next up for win and four losses “We need to the Tigers: in the spring. adjust to the tempo Sophomore mid- Who: LSU (0-2) vs. of the game and fix fielder Connor Kelly Ole Miss (1-4) the little mistakes leads the Rebel squad we’ve been making,” with a dominant 15 When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday Ramirez said. “We’re goals and seven as- Where: Pan American a lot better than those sists in the season. Stadium, New Orleans small mistakes.”

However, Battista The Tigers will said Kelly isn’t the join the Rebels along biggest concern for the Tigers. with top-ranked Texas and AriJunior goalie Nick Loverde zona State in the New Orleans entered Ole Miss from St. Paul’s showcase Saturday. The Tigers’ High School in Baltimore, Md., match starts at 3:30 p.m., with in 2010 and has since put up im- Texas and Arizona State squaring pressive numbers for the Rebel off at 6 p.m. lacrosse team.

Loverde has averaged 19.4 saves per game this season, with 97 total saves in five games.

Battista said the Tigers have Contact Morgan Wampold at to make a bigger push toward the goal Saturday if they plan to get mwampold@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

Opinion

page 8

Friday, February 24, 2012

Church Point Mardi Gras a hidden gem, true bon temps SCUM OF THE GIRTH Parker Cramer Columnist Dem was some bon temps.

At 7 a.m. on Mardi Gras Sunday, I was already drinking. The weather was cold and windy, and the future looked bright. I was headed to Church Point.

Home to one of the most popular Mardi Gras events in Acadiana, Church Point is located about 15 miles west of Lafayette and a little ways north of the interstate. It has never disappointed.

Mardi Gras revellers adorn makeshift costumes constructed of various cheap, frayed fabrics. Everybody who is anybody dresses up.

The day-long event begins with

the chicken run, aptly named because the participants compete for who can catch the most chickens.

I chose to abstain from this year’s chicken run on the grounds that it resembles rugby with birds.

At 7 a.m., I left the house wearing neon yellow medical scrubs with patchwork fabrics sewn on the front. On the back, I had drawn a house cat with a crown, draped by an American flag and standing next to E.T., who was wearing a “Thug Life” T-shirt.

My friend and bodyguard on this expedition was wearing the exact same thing, except on his back was a nutria rat and an outline of Louisiana with a pot-smoking armadillo on top.

By 8 a.m., we had arrived in Church Point and were setting the pace for what would be a very

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Participate in next week’s poll at lsureveille.com.

The Daily Reveille Editorial Board

Matthew Jacobs Chris Branch Ryan Buxton Bryan Stewart Andrea Gallo Clayton Crockett

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intoxicating day. We managed to forget coozies, and since Dollar General did not sell them, I was forced to purchase a single glove for each member of my posse as a substitute.

As we stood there listening to zydeco music and sipping our Budweiser, looking like a gang of Michael Jacksons, we began to feel like kids on Christmas.

As the rest of the parade-goers began to catch up to my level of intoxication, the day just got better.

There were not one, not two, but three fights.

The first was started because a person on a parade float confused his handful of beads with a baseball.

Said “beadball” ended up hitting an equally hammered individual in the crowd, who then charged the float.

I saw a gentleman pick up his

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State employee retirement not part of Social Security In response to the Feb. 16 article “LSUnited discusses problems with retirement legislation”: There are a number of serious errors in your news article about the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL).

Retirement for state employees is independent from Social Security and managed by the TRSL, which gives employees a number of retirement plans to choose from. TRSL is the retirement system for the state’s public school employees (excluding bus drivers and maintenance personnel) and unclassified faculty and staff at post-secondary educational institutions, including community and technical colleges. Individuals employed in higher education can choose to participate in either TRSL’s defined benefit plan or the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP). The ORP is a defined contribution plan similar to a 401K retirement account, where retirement benefits are determined by the contributions made to the account and investment performance.

Most public workers in Louisiana cannot participate in Social Security.

State employees, including classified staff at post-secondary educational institutions, are members of the Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (LASERS).

LSUnited President Patrick

girlfriend and sling her over his shoulder — what appeared to be abuse was actually heavy-handed restraint. The female in question was hell-bent on attacking another female who had apparently punched her in the face.

By the last fight, I could hardly stand, much less see. I’m told it consisted of an individual jumping on a moving pickup truck and then punching the driver in his face until he drove into a ditch.

As you can see, bon temps.

No amount of violence, pelting beads or police could prevent the people of Church Point and the surrounding area from making this the favorite day of the year for many.

This was what Mardi Gras is supposed to be. Let the tourists have New Orleans — I don’t need to motorboat any more

large-breasted strangers to make my Mardi Gras complete.

McGee said about 80 percent of University faculty are on the ORP, which requires employees to contribute 8 percent of their salaries and employers to contribute 5 to 7 percent. The amount paid by employees is adjusted annually. The employee contribution for the ORP is not adjusted annually. It is set in statute by the Legislature. The normal cost portion of the employer contribution is adjusted annually through actuarial calculations and has historically ranged from 5 to 7 percent. Normal cost is the cost of funding a member’s retirement benefit.

The other program is the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), which freezes an employee’s average highest salary during three or five years, depending on when the employee began working for the state. Once retired, an employee receives the final average compensation. TRSL administers or oversees two retirement programs: a defined benefit retirement plan (TRSL Regular Plan) and a defined contribution plan (ORP).

The final average compensation (FAC) is one factor that determines what the retirement benefit will be for members of TRSL’s defined benefit plan. The formula for calculating retirement benefits for the defined benefit plan is set by statute as follows: years of service multiplied by final average compensation (FAC) times benefit factor (typically 2.5 percent).

For TRSL members who joined one of the state’s four public retirement systems prior to Jan. 1, 2011, the FAC is the average of the highest 36 months of salary

successively earned.

For TRSL members who joined one of the state’s four public retirement systems on or after Jan. 1, 2011, the FAC is the average of the highest 60 months of salary successively earned.

The four state public retirement systems include: TRSL, LASERS, Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (LSERS), and the Louisiana State Police Retirement System (LSPRS). DROP is an optional program that TRSL Regular Plan members can participate in upon meeting eligibility requirements. The participant’s retirement benefit is calculated using the formula outlined above. This benefit is deposited into a special account while the participant continues to work and draw a salary. Upon termination of employment, the participant’s DROP account earns interest, and the participant can begin making withdrawals from the account.

The ORP and DROP plans are for University faculty, while staff are under LSERS, which is not associated with the TRSL. Unclassified faculty and staff at institutions of higher education can choose to participate in TRSL defined benefit plan or the ORP. DROP is an optional program that is open to TRSL defined benefit plan members once they meet DROP eligibility requirements.

Editorial Policies & Procedures

The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University.

The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, paper or University. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-26 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must have a contact phone number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the original intent. The Daily Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Daily Reveille’s editor-in-chief, hired every semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

Parker Cramer is a 20-yearold political science junior from Houston. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_pcramer.

Editor’s Note: The Daily Reveille does not condone underage drinking. The activities mentioned in this column are representative of the columnist only, not the publication as a whole.

Join in the conversation at blogs.lsureveille.com/opinion.

Contact Parker Cramer at pcramer@lsureveille.com

Lisa Honor, Ph.D. Public information director Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at opinion@lsureveille.com

Quote of the Day

“The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.”

Joseph Smith Jr. founder of Church of Latter-Day Saints Dec. 23, 1805 — June 27, 1844

The Daily Reveille

Friday, February 24, 2012

Opinion

page 9

Mormonism shouldn’t be placed on Romney’s shoulders BLUE-EYED DEVIL

Nicholas Pierce Columnist The practice of baptism-inabsentia has been going on almost since the Mormon Church’s inception. Essentially the idea is this: a devoted Mormon stands in for one of their ancestors and undergoes the baptism ritual on their behalf.

That ancestor will then be saved from damnation and given the option to make an afterlife conversion to Mormonism. Nothing particularly odd about that, at least not as far as religious rites go.

Muslims make pilgrimage, Catholics believe in transubstantiation — every faith has its thing, and that’s alright. People’s religious practices ought to be tolerated, if not respected, as long as they don’t overtly step on anyone’s toes.

And there’s nothing particularly offensive about afterlife baptism either — well, nothing except for the fact that tens of thousands of Jewish Holocaust victims have turned up in the Mormon’s “to-beconverted” database.

And yes, that exists.

But these dead Jews aren’t alone. Members of the Mormon Church have been baptizing dead folks far and wide and from every different background.

During Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008, it was leaked that the Church had baptized his deceased mother.

They didn’t stop there.

Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun and other prominent Nazis have been given the baptismal treatment, which has stoked the flames of an already incensed Jewish community.

And despite the fact that I can’t quite connect the dots on that particular nuance of this

issue, there is something decidedly un-kosher about the whole affair, or un-halal. Take your pick.

So when Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and award-winning author, found out he was in the Mormon’s database — and he wasn’t even dead yet — he went straight to the top. The discerning reader will probably have already put this together.

He went to Mitt Romney.

And by “went” I mean he called the candidate out on national television and essentially demanded Romney tell his church to back off — a demand I can understand in sentiment, though not necessarily in form.

Wiesel has all due right to be outraged at this particularly unsavory practice, but the church has publicly stated they are doing their best to remove all of the Holocaust victims from their rosters and are actively discouraging the practice as it applies to Jews and Holocaust

victims in particular.

But the controversy persists.

Wiesel and the others who have raised this issue are now grabbing at the limelight surrounding Romney as a candidate. If they wanted to redress their grievances with a prominent Mormon in the public sector, they could have directed their protest at someone like Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader.

But they chose Romney.

It seems what was an issue of maintaining peace between two religious communities is rapidly becoming the attempted indictment of a politician’s character based solely on his religious affiliation.

People should not be guilty by association or affiliation, they should be judged by their actions, and there are plenty of reasons to judge Romney.

This just isn’t one of them.

As weird as this entire dispute may be, there has been progress

made between Jewish leaders and Mormon officials over the last several years. Agreements and joint efforts made in 1995 and 2010 have seen the practice of “baptism for the dead” greatly reduced in the cases of families who would be sensitive to this sort of thing.

The fact that Wiesel has chosen to bring this issue up now suggests some people may be more concerned about stepping on political toes than protecting religious ones – and when faith becomes a “legitimate” weapon in political discord, nobody wins.

Nicholas Pierce is a 22-yearold history junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nabdulpierc.

Contact Nicholas Pierce at npierce@lsureveille.com

Religious right are persecution hypocrites this election MANUFACTURING DISCONTENT David Scheuermann Columnist Don your armor, culture warriors. The War on Religion is beginning once again.

When I first heard the cries against the War on Religion taking place in America, I was expecting to see waves of rainbowclad LGBT troops being led by the ghost of Christopher Hitchens in attempts to turn churches into abortion clinics and prosecute Christians everywhere.

Surely, the proselytizers in Free Speech Plaza would be swept away at the very least.

Alas, the purported “war” has revealed itself as merely a talking point propped up by conservative pundits and religious officials.

The timing of its recent resurgence is simply due to the election year.

The cries began again after Catholic groups denounced a provision in the Affordable Care Act which mandated that religiouslyaffiliated organizations provide contraception coverage to their employees. In response to the criticisms, the Obama administration changed the mandate to have insurance companies foot the bill for the coverage.

The issue was admittedly a legitimate one. Organizations should not be forced to buy services that go against their beliefs.

However, employers denying coverage to their employees is oppression of a smaller scale.

Obama’s compromise didn’t limit religious freedom. It increased it by allowing people to choose how they would act despite their employers’ beliefs.

But that hasn’t stopped pundits and the Republican presidential candidates from running with claims of a “war on faith.”

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney promised to end any regulation that “attacks our religious freedom,” and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has repeatedly denounced what he calls Obama’s “secular-socialist machine.”

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has stated that Obama “has reached a new low in this country’s history of oppressing religious freedom,” and has an “overt hostility to faith in America.”

These attacks are obviously pandering to the Republican religious base with a persecution complex. Comedian Jon Stewart painted the picture well when he said social conservatives have confused a “war” on religion “with not always getting everything you want.”

Real persecution would be if Obama was closing down churches or forbidding the open practice of religion.

Forbidding employers from forcing their morality on their employees is not persecution.

In fact, if any group is being persecuted, it is definitely not the Christian base of the Republican party.

One can argue that it is the religious right doing the most persecuting today.

The LGBT community is demonized and treated as secondclass citizens by the Christian right. Women are criticized for being sexually active and not following the “morality” that the religious right preaches.

Yet, fundamentalists continue to attack “godless secularism” as encroaching on their freedom — not because it’s anti-religious, but because it doesn’t promote their values to a position of privilege.

Santorum has become the poster boy for this type of thinking in the presidential race.

In December, Santorum criticized Obama for having “secular values that are antithetical to the basic principles of our country.”

However, what Santorum and his social conservative base does not understand is that the country was founded on those secular principles.

The First Amendment spells out clearly that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Freedom requires letting everyone pursue any lifestyle they see fit as long as they don’t harm others.

The entire premise of secularism is that giving all religions equal status in public life creates a freer society.

Many on the right like to claim they are on the side of freedom, yet promoting one set of religious values over all others is contradictory to that claim

and represents a true assault on individual autonomy.

You cannot promote liberty while simultaneously denying rights to others.

The cognitive dissonance must be deafening.

David Scheuermann is a 20-yearold mass communication and computer science sophomore from Kenner. Follow him on Twitter at @TDR_dscheu.

Contact David Scheuermann at dscheuermann@lsureveille.com

BEST AND WITTIEST

cartoon courtesy of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

Friday, February 24, 2012 for coach Balcomb to agree to do that for Destini and our team,” Jan. 19 at Tennessee, took the Caldwell said. “We definitely apcourt on crutches preciate [Balcomb] Next up for in the final regulargiving Destini the season home game chance to stand out the Tigers: of her career. After a there. That’s somepregame agreement Who: LSU (20-8, 10-5) thing that Destini will between Caldwell vs. No. 16 Georgia (21-7, take with her the rest and Vanderbilt coach 10-5) of her life.”

Melanie Balcomb, When: 4 p.m. Sunday Senior forward LSU controlled an Where: Stegeman Courtney Jones uncontested opening Coliseum, Athens, Ga. scored 11 second-half tip-off and passed points and converted to Hughes, who Watch or listen at home: a string of free throws relished in her fi- ESPN2 107.3 FM down the stretch to ice nal moment on the the game for the Lady court before tossing the ball out Tigers. of bounds.

Sophomore forward The“I can’t say what that meant resa Plaisance scored LSU’s only

SENIORS, from page 5

REBELS, from page 5

“I don’t think there was a doubt that we could win on the road if you ask the kids,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson. “South Carolina is different than Ole Miss — a different matchup. It’s the same thing on the road every time. If we don’t play hard and match their energy, we’re going to have a tough time.”

LSU is 1-5 in SEC road games this year.

Ole Miss home games have been a tough time this season for most visiting squads. The Rebels (15-12, 5-8 SEC) are 10-2 inside the “Tad Pad,” the nickname for their charmingly decrepit home arena, the Tad Smith Coliseum.

But Ole Miss hasn’t carried that momentum beyond the Coliseum’s friendly confines, dropping five of its last six games — four away from home — and getting blown out by Vanderbilt and No. 1 Kentucky last week.

On the other hand, LSU will roll into town coming off four straight victories, including a grueling 61-53 win against Georgia on Wednesday in the PMAC.

BASEBALL, from page 5

Mountaineers’ opening weekend.

“Whenever coaches go out of their way to call me to schedule games, I always know there’s some angle that they’re playing,” said Mainieri, who admits he rarely denies a school that requests to play LSU. “I’m sure their coach figured that they’re going to have a very experienced team, so what better time to take on the Bayou Bengals in their ballpark.”

Mainieri continues to work with the final spot in the lineup,

The Daily Reveille 3-pointer, but LSU ended the night with a 45.7 shooting percentage from the field.

The Lady Tigers return to action Jan. 26 at No. 16 Georgia with a chance to extend its season-ending winning streak to seven games.

Following the regular season, the SEC Tournament will kick off from Nashville, Tenn., on March 1.

page 11

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-Henry Ford

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Contact Scott Branson at sbranson@lsureveille.com

Sophomore guard Andre Stringer broke a prolonged 3-point shooting slump against the Bulldogs, nailing four treys and leading LSU with 18 points.

The sloppy win kept LSU in prime position to earn a bye in next month’s SEC Tournament and increased the Tigers’ burgeoning NCAA Tournament hopes.

“This time of year in conference, it’s going to be tough to win every game,” said sophomore guard Ralston Turner. “The main thing [Wednesday] is not about how we won, it’s just that we won.”

While Saturday’s trip figures to be the Tigers’ toughest remaining regular-season test, the Rebels barely put up a fight last month in the PMAC. LSU jumped out to a 297 advantage, led 44-24 at the half and cruised to the 26-point conference-debut victory behind Hamilton’s breakout 23-point, 16-rebound performance.

The Rebels couldn’t get out of their own way against the efficient Tigers, turning over the ball 17 times, shooting just 34 percent

from the field and collapsing defensively.

But Ole Miss was without its best player, junior forward Murphy Holloway, who was out with an ankle injury.

“It will be different this time around,” Turner said. “They have Holloway back, so we’re expecting them to be a brand new team.”

Holloway is the Rebels’ leading scorer in conference play, posting 12.2 points and grabbing eight rebounds per SEC game.

The muscular forward’s post presence has impressed opposing coaches. “[Holloway] is very physical, competitive and he rebounds,” Johnson said. “What impresses me about him is he’s big, strong and athletic — but mentally and physically — he brings a level of toughness.”

Terrance Henry, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, adds 11.9 points and six rebounds per game, giving Ole Miss one of the league’s more formidable frontlines.

with three different hitters occupying the nine hole this season.

Senior Grant Dozar has hit ninth twice, batting .333 in six at bats with four runs and one of LSU’s two home runs.

“Every time you get an opportunity, you have to go out there and show what you’re capable of doing,” Dozar said. “You have to put your best foot forward to try and crack that lineup.

All the guys have enjoyed getting that opportunity, and everyone’s challenging each other.”

Mainieri also plans to experiment with his bullpen. As in the

first four games, Mainieri hinted that a number of pitchers could see playing time as he sorts out what roles his players will fill.

“We’re going to be able to count on [junior Nick] Goody, [sophomore Nick] Rumbelow and [freshman Aaron] Nola,” Mainieri said. “It’s the guys after that that we need to find out which are the ones we can really count on. The only way to find that out is to run them out there.”

Contact Chris Abshire at cabshire@lsureveille.com

Contact Hunter Paniagua at hpaniagua@lsureveille.com

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