Men's Basketball: Pilots experience a hurricane
November 11, 2012
TULSA, Okla. - The LSU Shreveport Pilots could not weather the storm of the Tulsa University Hurricane on Sunday night at the Reynolds Center as the Pilots were handled by Tulsa 110-54 in an exhibition game for the Pilots. This was the third consecutive loss for the Pilots but none blemish their perfect 1-0 record since they were exhibition contests.
The long-ball shooter Jake Greene led the Pilots with 17 points draining four of 11 from downtown in addition to a perfect three of three from the free-throw line. Mark Politte and Rodney Milum, the two that had the scoring leaders in the previous three games, each tossed in 10 points to round out the Pilots' three double-digit scorers. Politte also led the team with seven rebounds just one ahead of Isaac Reid.
The Pilots will not play another team as powerful as Tulsa all season and the same could probably be said in reference to their last two as well that includes West Texas A&M and Midwestern State. The tough three-game exhibition road trip was schedule by first year Head Coach Kyle Blankenship in hopes to prepare the Pilots for the test at the end of the season.
"These three games will get us ready for the National Tournament. We played three great teams in three consecutive days; we will take the day off tomorrow and get back at it against Paul Quinn on Tuesday night," said Blankenship. To win the NAIA National Tournament a team must win five straight games in seven days with possibly just two days off; another scenario would be to win five games in six day with just one day off. Certainly the Pilots will not play teams as potent as the ones they have faced these past three day with a pair of powerful NCAA DII schools and the mighty NCAA DI Tulsa.
The Pilots will be back in regular season action on Tuesday in Dallas against Paul Quinn College at 7 p.m. LSUS will open up their home schedule at The Dock against Belhaven, a team they have already beaten this year, on November 20 at 6 p.m.
