by Chris Macaluso
LSUsports.net
BATON ROUGE — The LSU basketball team said goodbye to its three-game losing streak and its non-conference schedule Wednesday night by handing in-state rival Centenary an 85-44 defeat at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The win extended LSU’s winning streak in non-conference home games to 26 and marked the 36th straight win over an in-state opponent. LSU had lost three-straight, all to SEC opponents, since improving its record to 9-1 with a 73-69 win over Wyoming January 3.
Tiger forward Ronald Dupree led all scorers with 21 points to go along with a season-high 15 rebounds. Four other Tigers finished in double-digits in scoring including Jermaine Williams, who added a season-high 12 points. Every Tiger in uniform played including Senior Jack Warner who tied a career high with seven points.
The Tigers played perhaps their best defensive game of the season limiting the slower Gents to just 7-25 shots for 16 points in the first half the lowest opposing halftime score since holding Alabama to just 14 first-half points Jan. 20, 1988.
The Gents shot just 32.1 percent from the floor for the game on their way to their 11th loss in 13 games. Centenary’s season record dropped to 4-12. LSU improved to 10-4 overall.
Centenary scored the first basket of the game with 19:36 to play in the first and scored again three minutes later, the only two baskets LSU allowed in the first 13:00 of the game. Meanwhile, the Tiger offense quickly put the game out of reach building a 20-point lead, 24-4 with 9:17 to play in the first. LSU extended that lead to 43-16, taking a 27 point lead into the locker room.
Gent senior guard Ronnie McCollum, who was leading the Nation in scoring with 27.5 points per game before the contest, was held to just 14 points on 6-22 shooting from the floor, his lowest point total of the season. McCollum missed on all five of his three-point shots before fouling out with 6:00 to play.
LSU extended its lead to 30 points less than a minute into the second half on Torris Bright’s second three-pointer of the game. Bright hit 2-of-3 from beyond the arch on his way to 12 points, his 10th double-figure scoring game of the season.
The Tigers maintained a lead of 30 points or better throughout the remainder of the contest. A Warner lay-up extended LSU’s advantage to 41 with 1:25 left in the game.
LSU returns to SEC play this weekend when it travels to Athens, Ga. Sunday to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Tip-off is set for 11:30 a.m. and the game will be televised by Jefferson Pilot Sports.