LSU storms past Illinois State to win Cayman Islands Classic opener

The Tigers will face the winner of Akron-Western Kentucky on Tuesday afternoon.

The Tigers are heading into the winner’s bracket in the Cayman Islands Classic after breezing past Illinois State in the opener with a 77-61 win. Now, LSU will face the winner of Akron-Western Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

It was something of a breakout game for forward [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], who followed coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] from Murray State. He led the team with 33 points, shooting 13 of 19 for the game while also notching a game-high eight rebounds.

Guards [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] (13 points) and [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] (10) also scored in double figures as the team shot nearly 50% for the game, though its offense dropped of in the second half as the Tigers were outscored by 11. They led 45-18 at the break.

The Redbirds had three players finish in double figures offensively and shot 42.3% from the game, but they were an abysmal 5 of 22 from beyond the arc, and 19 turnovers overshadowed a sloppy LSU team that also gave the ball away 18 times.

It was another performance that leaves this team with a lot to work on, but McMahon is 4-0 to start his LSU tenure with a chance to move to 5-0 on Tuesday.

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