Tag: Derek Fountain

PHOTOS: Tigers basketball beats New Orleans 91-62

LSU is 3-0 to start the Matt McMahon era.

LSU left little room for doubt in its beatdown win over New Orleans on Thursday night. The Tigers thrashed the Privateers in a 91-62 win as coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] is 3-0 to start his tenure in Baton Rouge.

With the win over UNO, LSU has now won 27 straight games against fellow Louisiana programs.

The story of the game in this one were the transfers. [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag] (Mississippi State) and [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] (NC State) combined to score 28 coming off the bench. Fountain had seven steals himself as the Tigers totaled 17 as a team, contributing to 23 total turnovers.

LSU now leaves the country to participate in the Cayman Islands Classic, where it will take on Illinois State on Monday morning at 10 a.m., followed by a contest against either Akron or Western Kentucky on Tuesday.

Here were the best pictures from Thursday night’s win.

Instant Analysis: LSU basketball cruises past New Orleans to start McMahon era 3-0

The Tigers won 91-62 over the Privateers and will head to the Cayman Islands at 3-0.

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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LSU basketball gets win over Kansas City in Matt McMahon’s debut

Matt McMahon began his tenure at LSU with a win over Kansas City that was a bit too close for comfort.

A new era of LSU basketball began on Wednesday night with a 74-63 win over Kansas City.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] made his LSU debut, as did a slew of newcomers. [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] scored LSU’s first points of the year as LSU jumped out to a 9-2 lead.

From that point on, the Tigers hovered around a five-point lead for the rest of the half.

[autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] made his long-awaited debut after transferring from Illinois in 2021. The guard was expected to be a top contributor on last year’s team before tearing his ACL in the preseason.

He was LSU’s leading scorer with 18 points.

In the spring, Miller being on the court for LSU was far from a sure thing. He had a smooth recovery, but upon Will Wade’s firing, Miller explored his options in the transfer portal. Miller returning to LSU was one of McMahon’s biggest gets as he’s set to feature in the offense.

Another Tiger making his debut was [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], who came with McMahon from Murray State. Williams is expected to be LSU’s top player in the front court and delivered in the opener with a double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds).

It was a win, but it could have been a lot smoother. LSU had a few chances to pull away, but Kansas City hung around. LSU turned the ball over 15 times and committed 23 fouls.

The Tigers will have some growing pains, but that was expected. Very few of these guys have played with each other before and this is a sport where chemistry is of critical importance.

Given some time, McMahon’s track record and the level of talent he has to work with now, it figures this team will improve throughout the year. LSU will try to move to 2-0 on Saturday when the Tigers host Arkansas State.

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