By Fred J. Demarest
LSU Sports Information
BATON ROUGE — Stromile Swift scored 22 points, while newcomers Ronald Dupree and Lamont Roland added 21 and 20 points respectively, helping LSU crush Grambling, 112-37, in the season opener for both teams.
Every single Tiger scored as LSU shot 56 percent from the floor for the evening, including 71 percent in the second half. LSU broke 100 points for the first time in four years and came up with the second biggest margin of victory in school history.
While beating Grambling in November is a far cry from beating Kentucky in March, the Tigers demonstrated athleticism not present in either of third-year head coach John Brady‘s first two teams. The Tigers ran the floor and created fast-break points with their defense.
“Our team showed some athleticism that we didn’t have in my first two years here,” said Brady. “I don’t know how good this team (Grambling) we played tonight was, but I also don’t know if the first two teams I coached here could have done what our team did here tonight. I can remember fighting for our lives in games like this our first year and then last year we couldn’t put anybody away.
“This team (LSU), if we can stay injury free, I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, is our best team in the three years I’ve been here.”
Roland, a question mark heading into Saturday’s game due to a sprained ankle, canned a three pointer from the right corner to cap a 19-6 run to open the game for LSU and the Tigers never looked back. LSU surpassed the century mark for the first time since a 104-65 victory over Louisiana College on December 23, 1995.
The 112 points for the Tigers were the most since a 127-point effort against George Mason on December 3, 1994. The 75-point margin of victory was the biggest since a 91-point victory over Southwest College (Tenn.) in 1952.
Swift, who shot 10-14 on the evening, scored 14 points in a first half that saw the Tigers build a 52-26 lead. The sophomore forward brought the Assembly Center crowd to its feet with a thunderous dunk on an alley-oop from Jermaine Williams midway through the first half to give LSU a 29-11 lead.
With a 26-point lead at the half, the Tigers poured it on in the second half with a wild display of dunks and dazzling plays in transition.
Jabari Smith sent the PMAC crowd into a frenzy with a pair of plays early in the second half. The senior center took the ball the length of the floor, using a mean ball fake before laying it in on the break.
Moments later Smith electrified the crowd, faking a pass behind his back and keeping the ball and throwing it down for two of his 14 points on the night.
The Tigers began the second half on a 26-3 run as everyone got involved. More importantly, the Tiger guards showed a decision-making ability they lacked a year ago, as LSU finished with 29 assists on the evening. Williams finished with nine, while freshman Torris Bright added six.
The Tigers limited Grambling to 23 percent shooting on the evening, including a miniscule 16 percent in the second half. The 37 points allowed by the Tigers were the fewest since a 48-31 victory over Tulane on February 7, 1953. The Tigers held Grambling to just 11 points in the second half.
LSU outrebounded Grambling 57-34 on the night, as Dupree led the way with a team-high eight. LSU returns to action Monday evening at the PMAC against Southeastern Louisiana, the Tigers final tune-up before heading to Honolulu for the Hawaii Thanksgiving Shootout.