How It Happened: LSU Basketball Knocks Off Southeastern Louisiana in 78-65 Win

BATON ROUGE – The LSU Tiger basketball team returned to the Maravich Center for the first time in 28 days and scored a 78-65 win over Southeastern Louisiana Friday night to run its record to 10-1 on the season.

LSU will be back in action on Monday night at 6 p.m. in the Maravich Center in the final game before the Christmas break against Prairie View.

The Tigers, who trailed for only 20 seconds of the contest, opened quickly, hitting 9-of-10 field goals to open up a 23-6 advantage seven minutes into the contest. Both teams had good scoring spurts in the first half with LSU going to the half up 50-36.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first half with LSU 16-of-27 (59.3 percent) and Southeastern hitting 14-of-28 shots.

The Tigers opened up a much as an 18-point advantage in the second 20 minutes, 61-43, with 13:58 to play. LSU was unable to get its scoring in the paint going as it had in several games this season, posting just 10 in the second half and playing even with Southeastern in paint points at 28-28. Rebounds were also even at 29-29 for the game, but Southeastern had a 14-6 advantage in second chance points.

LSU had four players in double figures with Marquel Sutton just missing another double double with 19 points and nine rebounds. He had an efficient night from the floor hitting 7-of-9 field goals, including three treys and both free throw attempts.

Michael Nwoko had a strong game as well with 18 points on a perfect night from the field (6-of-6) and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

Max Mackinnon and Dedan Thomas Jr., each had 14 points.

The Tigers finished the game shooting 54.3 percent (25-of-46), while Southeastern finished at 42.9 percent (24-of-56). LSU made nine treys (9-of-22, 40.9 percent), while Southeastern made 6-of-25 three-point attempts. The Tigers were 19-of-27 at the free throw line.

LSU turned the ball over in single digits again with eight miscues.

Tickets for Monday’s game are available online at LSUTix.net and the LSU ticket windows will open one hour prior to tipoff.
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LSU vs. Southeastern Louisiana Men’s Basketball

LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon

Opening Statement…
“First, I want to wish a belated happy 68th birthday to SEC legend, Kent Lowe. Appreciate you, Kent!

"Good to be back home. It’s been four weeks since we’ve played here at the PMAC. I loved our start to the game – I thought our guys were really dialed in. We were able to get out in transition and executed well offensively. We started nine-of-10 from the floor to start the game and got two “kills” – what we call three stops in a row. We didn’t get any more (kills) the rest of the half, and Southeastern was able to chip away and get back into the game. They’ve got a scrappy team – (Southeastern Head) Coach Kiefer does a terrific job.

"Then at the start of the second half we pushed the lead back up to 18 and never could bury our opponent tonight, credit to them. I thought our offensive execution, with 54% from the floor and 41% from three as well as four guys in double figures; it was good balance out there. (LSU Forward) Marquel Sutton was such a warrior with his 19 points and nine rebounds. You saw how efficient (LSU Center Mike) Nwoko was down in the post.

"We wanted to get the ball to him more, but that’s when Southeastern changed to their 1-1-3 zone and did a good job matching up out of it to slow down our offensive attack in the second half. Overall, I was thrilled to get the win. It’s good to be back home and the beautiful thing for us is that we get to turn around and do it again on Monday night.”

On increasing bench points moving forward…
“I think there’s certainly been some progress there. You look at Jalen Reese – I think he’s around three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s not carrying a heavy scoring load off the bench, but I think he’s doing a terrific job running this team and doing a really good job on the defensive side. From the wing positions, I thought we got some good looks.

"I think we had eight three-point attempts off the bench tonight. We only went 2-of-8 (from three off the bench), but those are good shooters who just didn’t shoot as well as we would like. It’s an area that we must continue to get better in and keep improving as we go into our last two nonconference games.”

On the combo of Jalen Reece and Dedan Thomas Jr. together on the court…
“Coming in tonight, our two biggest areas of focus against this Southeastern team was that they were a top 25 in the country in forcing turnovers. This enabled us to put two-point guards on the court at the same time – two primary ball handlers and decision makers – so you hope it leads to good shot creation and ball security on your offensive end.

"That’s what we like to see. Sometimes, it’s going to be predicated on matchups based on the other team. They played two smaller guards, that’s probably not the best lineup for us against teams with 6-6 or 6-7 wings out there. I think there will opportunities for us to continue to experiment with that group and I always enjoy having multiple playmakers on the floor at the same time.”

LSU Player Quotes     

LSU Forward Marquel Sutton
On the team’s emphasis as they approach SEC play
“The big emphasis is having urgency in everything we do. Our motto is brotherhood, relentlessness, and consistency. That’s our culture and our DNA. I think if we do all three of those things, we’ll be successful in the SEC.”

On his shooting tonight
“I didn’t do anything differently. I just get a lot of reps before and after practice. We do it every day. Everyone on the team shoots on their own. I’d say the reps I put in everyday and the confidence my teammates have in me.”

LSU Forward Mike Nwoko
On getting the bench guys involved
“We have complete trust in them. At the end of the day, it’s about hitting shots. I truly believe they’re going to hit shots when it matters and do what they have to do in their part of the game.”

On Coach McMahon’s message after the game
“Be happy that we won and celebrate the wins. As a team, we weren’t really satisfied with that win. We still have a lot of basketball left, and that’s the main thing.”
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Southeastern Head Coach David Kiefer

On the Lions’ performance against the Tigers …
“I thought they came out a little flat, weren’t getting stops. It felt like everything they were doing offensively was working, and we had to make a couple of adjustments at halftime. I thought we settled in as the game went along and made a few key adjustments, and I am happy with how we were able to fight through a little bit of adversity, being able to overcome a little bit of their size.”

On the outlook for the remainder of the season …
“We just got to become one and become a team. When you’re dealing with all these transfers and different personalities and going through the gauntlet of a schedule we have, you got to make sure we continue to get better every day and being the best team we can be.”

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