BATON ROUGE — Showing no effects of a tough road loss two days before, the LSU Tigers put on a solid offensive show to down Nicholls State, 92-49, Friday night at the Maravich Assembly Center.
After an even first 10 minutes, LSU outscored Nicholls St. 70-28 from the 9:18 mark in the first half to the end of the game. At one point LSU was on a 68-19 run before pulling the starters out of the game.
The Tigers shot an amazing 68 percent from the floor before the starters were pulled with five minutes remaining in the game and ended up shooting 51.5 percent from the field for the contest. LSU fell one short of the school record for three pointers in a game, draining 12 treys against the Colonels.
The win extends LSU’s winning streak over Louisiana schools to 35. They also improved to 9-0 versus Nicholls St. all-time.
Both teams came out shooting well. LSU began the game in a man-to-man defense, but Nicholls forward Arthur Haralson had success inside forcing LSU to play a zone which allowed them double team him. Haralson scored nine first-half points.
Besides Haralson, the Colonels were able to pick apart the Tiger defense with a series of quick, crisp passes which led to finding an open shooter for an easy basket.
LSU wasn’t fazed by the Colonels hot shooting matching every basket in the first half.
Nicholls had a four point lead after Haralson scored six early points and Sean Hughley nailed a three pointer. Trailing 15-11 Collis Temple hit a three pointer to pull LSU within one point a 15-14 with 13:53 remaining in the first half. The teams battled back-and-forth until LSU led 22-21 with 9:18 remaining in the first half.
Torris Bright and Lamont Roland each drained three pointers and that sparked a 25-5 run that LSU made to end the first half with a 45-26 lead. During the run Ronald Dupree scored 10 points including two flashy dunks.
LSU opened up the second half running down the Colonels and never looking back. Much like the last home game against UNO, the Tigers were able to come out quickly and score the first 10 points of the second half to stop any thought of a Colonel comeback.
The Tigers, 6-1, opened up a 50 point lead twice in the half against Nicholls State (3-5) at 88-38 with 2:43 to play and 90-40 at the 2:12 mark.
Three pointers from Roland and Temple continued to fall in the second half as LSU executed superbly on offense all night long. Temple tied Torris Bright’s one game record from the Arizona game for best three-point night, hitting all five of his three-point tries.
Temple led LSU with 20 points and 10 rebounds. It was Temple’s first double-double of his career. Dupree added 16 points, Roland added 15, Bright scored 13 and Beshara scored 10 points giving LSU five players in double figures fro the third time this season.
“The way we played that game and for us to do what we did coming off the game against Arizona in two days. . . .to be able to play as well as we played (tonight) after the first eight minutes of the game, I think you have to compliment our players,” Said LSU Coach John Brady. “I think when we can have trust in our offense and take good shots, defend like we’re trying to do, we’ll have our moments. The other team might be bigger and have a little more depth, but what we’re doing after eight games, I have to compliment our team on where we are now.”
Nicholls State was led by Haralson with 11 points and Chris Bacon with 10. The Colonels shot just 27.9 percent for the game, 17-of-61.
The Tigers next action will be in the Sugar Bowl Classic in the New Orleans Sports Arena when they square off aginst Oregon St. of the PAC-10 on December 28 in the second game of the doubleheader at 9:30 p.m. The first game matches Tulane and Florida at 7 p.m. Both games will be nationally televised by Fox Sports Net and tickets are on sale at TicketMaster outlets and at the New Orleans Arena.