By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY: LSU’s halftime locker room must be loaded with phone booths.
In the best way, the Tigers emerge a different team after intermission time and time again.
In the same way LSU hammered Alabama State, Charleston Southern, UCF and Northwestern State after halftime, LSU completely controlled the action against the Seminoles. The Tigers opened the second half on an 8-0 run and never looked back in a, 85-75, win.
Cam Cater and Jordan Sears made huge shots LSU will absolutely need from its veteran backcourt. And, after a tough first half, Vyctorius Miller came alive from three-point range to bolster LSU’s scoring.
Sears struggled with the Florida state length in the first half. He turned the ball over twice and missed all three of his two-point attempts. Undeterred, he kept driving. It paid off. He made a couple of pretty drives to the rim for buckets and created a pair of more putbacks thanks to help defenders vacating the backboard.
LSU scored 53 points after halftime on a program that prides itself on defense and toughness. And the Tigers did it without their best frontcourt scorer.
LSU is handling its pre-conference business. And that’s mandatory because the SEC went 10-0 Tuesday against the ACC.
Unfortunately, the story Tuesday night really might have been Jalen Reed. The junior forward left the game just over 90 seconds into the action and didn’t return. It appeared he suffered a non-contact knee injury and needed assistance leaving the floor. Matt McMahon said after the game he suffered a sprained knee and would be evaluated further.
THE STATS: LSU outscored Florida State 53-40 in the second half.
LSU shot 57% from the floor in the second half and made 6-of-13 threes.
LSU only turned the ball over four times in the second half. Florida State entered the game fourth in the country in steals per possession. They had five in the game.
Florida State finished 9-for-29 on layups in the game. Corey Chest and Daimion Collins made it tough on the Seminoles at the rim. Collins blocked four shots.
Carter led the way for LSU with 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He made 8-of-9 free throws.
Miller was 1-for-6 shooting in the first half. In the second half he was 3-of-5 from three and scored 13 points.
LSU made six of its last seven field goals.
Dji Bailey guarded FSU’s leading scorer Jamir Watkins. He entered the game averaging more than 17 points per game but needed 19 shots to score 15 points.
Malique Ewin pulled down 11 offensive rebounds and 17 total for the Seminoles.
THE PLAYS: 18:23 Jalen Reed went down on a made transition layup. Had to be helped off.
Daimion Collins and Watkins were whistled for a double technical foul with just over seven minutes to go in the first half.
Chandler Jackson buried a transition three to extend a run to 9-0 and give FSU a 30-23 lead over LSU with 4:30 to play in the first half. McMahon called a timeout as it ripped the net.
Collins picked up his third foul 13 seconds into the second half.
Corey Chest got his third foul 64 seconds into the second half.
Sears soared through the air for a gorgeous lay in with 12:01 in the game. That put LSU up 54-45, but the Tiger point guard immediately motioned to the bench and needed medical attention on his left leg. He re-entered the game with 10:35 to play.
Collins got his fourth foul with 11:17 to play.
LSU missed three straight threes (Sears, Sears, Bailey) on one possession with seven and half minutes to play. If any had dropped, the lead would have swelled to 11.
Miller drained a three ball to put LSU up 10 with 3:25 to play. Cold blooded stuff from the freshman.
Carter basically put it on ice with a steal and runout slam to put the Tigers up 10 inside two minutes to play.
