Baton Rouge, La. – After compiling a record of 5-1 in the month of December, the LSU men’s basketball team has been named the BASF Team of the Month.
Four of the five wins in the month of December came at the Maravich Center. LSU has now won 15 straight games inside the Maravich Center.
The month started off with convincing wins over Grambling State (78-57) and Incarnate Word (91-50). Kavell Bigby-Williams made his presence felt on the defensive end against Grambling State with nine blocks, the most by an LSU player since 2006. Tremont Waters (15), Darius Days (13) and Skylar Mays (10) paced the offense with double-digit scoring efforts. Against Incarnate Word, Naz Reid did a little bit of everything as he scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go along with seven boards, three assists and three steals. KBW locked up a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tigers travelled to Las Vegas and handled Saint Mary’s with a 78-74 triumph ending the Gaels’ four-game winning streak. Waters played 30 minutes off the bench and scored 18 points (7-of-12) with three assists and two steals. Emmitt Williams came off the bench and scored 15 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds.
The biggest win of the month came against undefeated and 24th-ranked Furman on Dec. 21. LSU knocked off the Paladins at the Maravich Center by a score of 75-57. The Tigers outscored Furman in the paint by a tally of 50-22 on their way to shooting 55.4% (31-of-56) from the field.
In the December finale Reid recorded the first double double of his Purple and Gold career with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead LSU to victory over ULM, 81-69. Waters matched his career high with eight steals, the second most ever to be recorded in a game by an LSU player. The sophomore from New Haven, Conn., added 11 points and 10 assists to the scoresheet. Mays (14), Williams (12) and Ja’vonte Smart (10) all scored in double digits as well.
The Tigers enter SEC play with a record of 10-3. The first conference matchup of the year for LSU will be on Jan. 8 against Alabama at the Maravich Center at 8 p.m.