ST. THOMAS, US Virgin Islands – The LSU men’s basketball team nearly rallied from a double digit second half deficit for the second straight game, but Old Dominion scored 13 of the final 17 points over the last four minutes to claim a 70-61 decision Friday at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center to open the Paradise Jam.
Jarell Martin collected his third straight double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Tigers (2-1). He was 9-of-12 at the free throw line and scored 11 of his 17 points during the second half.
Keith Hornsby registered 15 rebounds and five rebounds, while Josh Gray and Tim Quarterman chipped in eight points apiece. Gray dished out four assists, and Quarterman totaled six rebounds. Jordan Mickey was held to season-lows with five points and six rebounds.
Old Dominion (3-0) rode Trey Freeman to 25 points on a 9-of-18 shooting effort. Richard Ross tacked on 10 points, and Jonathan Arledge hauled in 12 rebounds for the Monarchs.
LSU started on a strong note and connected on seven of its first 13 shots to build a 19-7 advantage at the 10:28 mark of the opening half. Hornsby and Martin sparked the flurry with 13 points.
The Tigers maintained their double digit lead after Hornsby drained a triple followed by Brian Bridewater layup to make it 28-17 with 6:59 remaining.
Old Dominion took advantage of some LSU foul trouble on the interior as Bridewater, Martin, Mickey and Elbert Robinson III each picked up two fouls. The Monarchs closed the half with a 16-2 run and grabbed a 33-30 edge heading into the locker room.
Old Dominion kept the momentum and started the second half as Freeman scored five of the stanza’s first seven points to open up a 40-30 with 16:45 to go.
Trailing 50-40 at the 11:29 mark, the Tigers reeled off 15 of the next 20 points over the next 6:28 to knot the score at 55-55. Once again, it was Hornsby and Martin who racked up 12 of the 15 points during the spurt.
The Monarchs responded with a Freeman jumper coupled with three Arledge buckets. ODU also received a deep triple from Josh Bibera with the shot clock running down to surge ahead 66-60 at the 1:27 mark. LSU misfired on eight of its last 10 shots.
LSU takes on Weber State Saturday in consolation bracket action. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT, and the game will be carried online only for free at www.ParadiseJam.com.
The LSU Sports Radio Network also will broadcast the game on Eagle 98.1 FM in the Baton Rouge area and inside the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net/live. Jim Hawthorne, Ricky Blanton and Kevin Ford will call the action.
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger basketball, visit www.lsusports.net/basketball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsubasketball along with @LSUBasketball and @LSUCoachJones on Twitter and @LSUBasketball on Instagram.