Tigers fly past Pilots, 122-58 (Story courtesy of LSU Sports Information Department)
November 16, 2005
BATON ROUGE -- Darnell Lazare led six Tigers in double figures scoring with 19 points, as the LSU men's basketball team completed exhibition play with a 122-58 victory over LSU-Shreveport of the NAIA on Tuesday night in the Maravich Center.
LSU, which finished 2-0 in exhibition play, opens the 2005-06 regular season against Southern University on Friday night at home.
LSU-Shreveport, ranked No. 10 in the NAIA, fell to 0-3 in exhibition play but hold a 2-0 record in regular-season play this season. The Pilots set several school records in a 153-108 victory over Paul Quinn College earlier this season
The Tigers shot 60.3 percent from the field (44 of 73) and out-rebounded LSU-S, 62-27.
LSU guard Darrel Mitchell scored 18 points -- all in the first half -- while forwards Glen Davis and Tasmin Mitchell each had 16. Forward Tyrus Thomas added 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in 16 minutes, and reserve forward Magnum Rolle scored 13 points in 17 minutes.
Tigers reserves Chris Johnson (eight points) and Alex Farrer (seven) each played well in a clean-up role. Reserve point guard Ben Voogd had five points, seven assists and a steal.
LSU-Shreveport, which shot only 28.6 percent (22 of 77) from the field, had four players in double figures scoring. Derrick Sowell led the Pilots with 15 points in 15 minutes of play. LSU-S launched 27 three-pointers, making only seven (25.9 percent).
LSU trailed by as many as six, 13-7, in the first four minutes. After coming back to tie the game at 17-17, LSU scored 12 straight points to take a 29-17 lead on a tip-in by Tasmin Mitchell with 11:14 to play in the first half.
The lead increased to 28 with two minutes to play in the half, 58-20, on a layup by Lazare.
At halftime, LSU led 61-35 behind 18 points from Darrel Mitchell and 15 by Lazare. The Tigers out-rebounded the Pilots, 31-8, and who 55.6 percent from the field (20 of 36).
In foul trouble, the Pilots never threatened in the second half. The final score was the largest margin of the game.
The Tigers open the 2005-06 regular season against Southern on Friday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Maravich Center. Members of the Geaux Zone can watch live streaming video of this and the Nicholls State contest on Monday, Nov. 21, on LSUsports.net.
Live streaming video and audio of the contest was streamed exclusively in LSUsports.net's Geaux Zone for free to the public. The archive of the audio and video are both available at no charge as a free preview of the subscription-based sevice of LSUsports.net.
LSU HEAD COACH JOHN BRADY
Opening Statement..."That team was averaging 113 a game, I believe, or 115 a game, and they scored 79 or 80 at Arkansas the other night. We made a goal to hold them to 65 or less. Even though we were up a number of points, we still wanted to try to guard and meet our defensive goal. We were able to do that. We played a lot of guys. We had some guys that didn't play in the first exhibition as much as they would have liked, but we got a chance really to kind of play some people. I wanted to put Chris Johnson in when the game was still kind of on the line early. His biggest problem right now is execution, but I think he's shown that he's got some talent and some real skill there for a guy that's 6-11. He's just in a learning curve right now, but he's going to be fine. Eventually what we'd like to do is back him up at the 3 with Tasmin (Mitchell), but right now we're swinging Garrett (Temple) at the 2 and the 3. Hopefully it will eventually work out for us where we'll almost have a sub for each guy. I thought that, in spite of the slow start, there's two ways you can look at it. You can say that we started slow or they made some nice baskets early on, and they did. I think defensively we picked it up a little bit."
On Kentrell Gransberry..."We're in the process of talking to him now. He was really disappointed about the other night. It bothers me a little bit that a guy would make a knee-jerk decision because he didn't play as much as he would have liked in an exhibition game. He's a fine young man, and we want him here. He's really concerned about if he can play here with the players we have. There are some avenues to where he could make a decision to maybe sit out this year and play two more after that. That would be something he would have to determine what he thinks is best for him. My opinion, he should work through whatever insecurities he has about where he fits and stick with it here because he can graduate from LSU and get a degree. It shouldn't be a knee-jerk decision about immediate playing time. It should be a decision about your future and the rest of your life. That's what I'm talking with him about now."
LSU-SHREVEPORT HEAD COACH CHAD MCDOWELL
Opening Statement"We are disappointed as a team. They are great. They are at a different level than where we are at. That was proven, but we still should have given them a better run for an exhibition game. Hopefully, we can build off of an embarrassing loss."
On LSU's athleticism ... "Their athleticism is unbelievable. It's incredible. If they play like that, they are in for a great season. They are long. What do you do to stop it?"
On LSU's defense ... "Obviously, we rely on that outside ball. When that doesn't go, it can get ugly. For the level we play at, we run those type of shots down. LSU really doesn't allow that. You have one chance. I don't think they missed much in the second half. Everyone really got in on the action. Defensively, that is what they do. They are long. You think you are quick enough to go by somebody, but with their wingspan, when you have a layup, they are blocking it with their elbow. They are incredible athletes and well coached. They are a great basketball team. We are just disappointed we didn't give them more of a run."
