The Tigers’ first two games under new men’s basketball coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] were a bit closer than they would have hoped, but they dominated New Orleans on Thursday night essentially from start to finish as they earned a 91-62 win at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU moves to 3-0 on the young season and has now won 27-straight games against other programs from the state of Louisiana, a streak that dates back to 2010.
The Privateers jumped out to a 6-2 lead, but that was the most competitive they would be all night. LSU’s subsequent 32-6 run essentially put the game out of reach, and it was 47-25 at the half. UNO’s 23 turnovers — which resulted in 22 points going the other way — proved costly in this one.
It was something of a breakout game for Mississippi State transfer [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag], who led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points coming off the bench. Meanwhile, NC State transfer [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] scored for the first time in an LSU uniform, scoring 12. Starting point guard [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag] also scored 12.
It was an off night for leading scorer Adam Miller, who finished with just seven points on a 2 of 8 shooting game.
It was a good shooting night overall for the Tigers, who shot over 50% and were particularly effective in the second half, shooting 67%. However, New Orleans also shot in the neighborhood of 50% and likely could have kept this one closer were it not for sloppy play against an LSU defense that finished with 17 steals, seven of which came from Fountain.
LSU will now travel to the Cayman Islands to participate in the Cayman Islands Classic, where it will take on Illinois State on Monday morning at 10 a.m. CT. It will play either Akron or Western Kentucky on Tuesday.
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