By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
It took LSU longer than expected to put 0-5 Alcorn State away, but the Tigers eventually took over.
LSU owned the backboards and painted area paced by Michael Nwoko’s career high of 29 points in just 20 minutes to overwhelm the Braves in a 107-81 win.
Nwoko got off to a great start with a pair of dunks and a layup in the first three and a half minutes of action. His size and physicality were way too much for a smaller Brave frontcourt. For the game, Nwoko made 12-of-15 shots from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Despite a huge size advantage, LSU lost the battle on the glass in the first half, 21-20. That and a hot shooting start from Alcorn State gave the Braves a seven-point lead after an 11-0 run midway through the first half.
LSU continued drive to the basket all night long, and that created a ton of contact and opportunity from the foul line where LSU created its most decisive advantage. The Tigers made 31 free throws to Alcorn State’s five, a 26-point advantage that mirrored the final score.
Alcorn State entered the game a 43 percent shooting team that averaged 64 points per game. The Braves shot 49 percent in the game and outpaced their average by nearly 20 points.
LSU’s defense allowed too many open looks on one-on-one drives in the first half, and Alcorn made some uncharacteristic shots after halftime. It wasn’t nearly enough as LSU’s parade to the rim and free throw line continued.
The Tigers built a double-digit lead just three minutes into the second half which ballooned to 20 with 3:47 left when Nwoko slammed one home.
The effort was far from flawless, but LSU topped 90 points or the fourth straight game to open the season which is the first time that’s happened since 1990 when Shaquille O’Neal’s team did it in the first nine games.
The Tigers return to action Friday when Omaha visits the PMAC.
THE STATS
Michale Nwoko: 12/15 FG, 5/6 FT, 29 pts, 9 reb
Marquel Sutton: 16pts, 6/12 FG, 2/7 3pt, 10 reb
DJ Thomas: 6 ast, 0 TO
LSU FT: 30/29 (80%)
Alcorn St FT: 5/11 (46%)
First half rebounding: Alcorn St 21, LSU 20
Second half rebounding: Alcorn St 7, 23
Alcorn St: 11/21 layups
LSU won points in the paint 58-28
THE QUOTES
LSU head coach Matt McMahon on Michael Nwoko’s offense…
“Mike has been fantastic on the offensive end; six offensive rebounds tonight really stood out. As we’ve talked in here in the last couple of months, I’ve been really pleased with his skill level. He’s more skilled down in the post than we had anticipated coming in. He’s worked hard in the player development program. You see him scoring jump hooks with each hand. At the end of the day, he’s 6’10, 260[lbs.] I think he’s using his physicality in a great fashion.
McMahon on the second half…
“We did a better job on the offensive glass, especially in the second half. We were able to live at the free-throw line and extend our lead, and get the win. Happy with the win, certainly on the defensive side, there are some things we need to get better at.”
DJ Thomas on the more effective second half…
“I feel we didn’t come out with energy. We prepared very well for this team. We just didn’t come out ready to play tonight. But luckily Coach (Matt) McMahon got on us at halftime, and we picked it up defensively. We can’t have that happen.”
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