POSTGAME: #23 LSU 94, Southeastern 63

The Tiger faithful showed up strong to support both basketball teams this evening, and they were rewarded with a second half full of garbage time. LSU took a 48-18 lead before halftime and let go of the accelerator, only outscoring the Lions in the second half by one point to easily cruise to their first victory of the season.

Six Tigers scored over 10 points this evening, led by Naz Reid’s 17 point performance. The imposing 6-foot-10, 250lb freshman also added 6 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and a steal to his collegiate debut statline. It can’t be overstated how much presence Reid brings to the frontcourt, it’s definitely something I haven’t seen from our side in the two seasons I’ve covered.

Emmitt Williams, another freshman making his debut, earned his first career double-double this evening with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Marlon Taylor, whose status was uncertain until a 7:30am appointment this morning, finished second on the team with 15 points.

Ja’vonte Smart, Skylar Mays, and Darius Days round out the rest of the double digit performances for the Tigers. The Baton Rouge freshman Smart had a balanced game across the board, adding 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal to his debut.

Sophomore point guard Tremont Waters, who blew the PMAC away with 27 points in last season’s opener, scored 9 points and recorded 5 steals. Tiger fans are used to Waters leading the offensive attack, but that wasn’t necessary at all with the way the ball was spread around. “If Tremont had that statline last year we certainly would’ve been in a dog fight or lost,” said Coach Wade after the game.

There really isn’t much of a story to tell about this game. LSU showed up, kicked ass, and started kneeling the ball before it became a 90s Spurrier beatdown. Honestly the most notable story from the second half was the PMAC cheering wildly for Southeastern’s Parker Edwards as he dropped 25 points in 10 minutes.

After the win, LSU honored the memory of Wayde Sims with a tribute video as well as presenting his parents with the game ball and the United States flag that’s flown in the PMAC since 2005.

Friday night, the Tigers will take on the 1-0 UNC Greensboro Spartans in the PMAC. The Spartans went 27-8 (15-3 SoCon) on the way to winning the Southern Conference, the Southern Conference Tournament, and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. That contest will tip off at 7pm and will be streamed on SEC Network+.