Lsu Women Step Up

LSU is in the AP women’s basketball poll for the first time in almost five years. No. 22 LSU (11-0) has matched the second-best start in school history without playing a Top 25 team.

Connecticut held the No. 1 spot for the third straight week, receiving 36 of 41 first-place votes from a national media panel.

The Huskies (11-0), the only unbeaten Division I team besides LSU, had 1,019 points to lead a top six that was unchanged from last week. Second-ranked Old Dominion (11-1) and No. 3 Stanford (14-1) each received two first-place votes.

Louisiana Tech (13-1), Georgia (10-2) and Alabama (11-2) rank 4-5-6. No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 8 Vanderbilt both moved up three places, while Tennessee slipped one spot to ninth and Arkansas climbed three places to 10th.

Montana State forward Blythe Hommes, who had 42 points and 26 rebounds to lead the Bobcats to two conference wins, was named Big Sky Conference player of the week.