The Tigers ran their record to 5-0 as they played the Armani Junior team in Milan. Here’s a report on the day’s activities:
Day 8: Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The team was greeted by five Tiger faithful fans as they entered the arena in the city of Milan prior to the 9:00pm tip-off versus Olimpia Armani Jeans Milano (also known as Armani Junior). With purple and gold in the stands, the Tigers did not disappoint them as LSU came away with an 82-51 win.
Armani Junior played well to start the first quarter and they carried their momentum on the home floor into the second. With the core of their team being together for just over three years, the Tigers faced a tough challenge being on the road and playing back-to-back games. With 4:12 to go in the second quarter the Tigers met the challenge, went up by 6 points on a layup, and never looked back. LSU went into the half with a 10 point lead, 34-24. The third quarter saw an increase in defensive pressure by LSU and the lead stretched to 58-38. All eleven Tigers appeared in their 5th victory of the trip.
“The bottom line tonight was we played hard and we played well for 48 minutes versus a very good team,” said Coach Trent Johnson after the game. “We kept our defensive intensity high no matter who was on the floor. We got to loose balls, we made good decisions, and we rebounded the ball well. I was a little surprised, which is hard to do, but individually and collectively we are playing with a level of confidence that will benefit us moving forward.”
Earlier in the day, many of the players had a chance to ride on the subway for the first time as the team traveled to downtown Milan. The team toured the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral), which is the 4th largest cathedral in the world.
Tomorrow the LSU Tigers will visit Lake Como during the day prior to their final game of the Italy Tour tomorrow night.
Scoring
19 – Justin Hamilton
15 – Matt Derenbecker
12 – Storm Warren
9 – Ralston Turner
8 – Andre Stringer
7 – Malcolm White
6 – Eddie Ludwig
4 – Garrett Green
2 – Chris Bass
Rebounds
13 – Storm Warren
10 – Justin Hamilton
8 – Matt Derenbecker
5 – Malcolm White, Chris Bass
4 – Garrett Green, Eddie Ludwig
3 – Ralston Turner
2 – Andre Stringer
1 – Jalen Courtney
Assists
7 – Chris Bass
6 – Ralston Turner
5 – Andre Stringer
3 – Matt Derenbecker