LSU Basketball Overpowers UNO in the Paint to Cruise to 90-54 Win
Dominated by another strong showing in the paint, LSU was able to pull off its third straight win, knocking off New Orleans 90-54 Tuesday night.
The calling card for the Tigers (6-2) over the last three games has been to play inside-out and LSU was able to score at will once again, led by sophomore forward Emmitt Williams who led the Tigers with 18 points. Of the Tigers 38 points in the first half, 26 of them came in the paint area, totaling 52 points in the paint for the game.
It certainly wasn't all roses for LSU as the turnover bug struck in the first 10 minutes of the first half and helped UNO jump out to a 26-20 lead.
LSU would close the half on a 18-4 run dominated by attacking the paint and take a 38-30 lead into the break. Despite the dominance in the paint, the Tigers started the game 1-for-11 from three-point range, a clip that wouldn't improve much throughout the night.
One of the big revelations over the past two games has been improved guard play from Javonte Smart from a passing perspective. The sophomore delivered nine assists to one turnover in the team's win over Missouri State Friday and churned out eight more against the Privateers Tuesday. That makes 17 assists to just three turnovers in two games, something Wade will gladly take.
LSU blew the game open in the second half, going on an 18-2 run by cutting back on turnovers and continuing to attack the paint. The Tigers led by as many as 40 in the second half with five players breaking into double figures.
Sophomore Darius Days posted his fourth career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards while freshman Trendon Watford added 18 points in his first game off the bench.
Up next for the Tigers is a home game against Northwestern State on Sunday with tip-off at 3 p.m. from the PMAC.
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