After the performance on Tuesday night by LSU, Johnny Jones might reconsider giving this team two weeks off. North Carolina Central started off strong, but LSU was able to come out strong in the second half to come away with a 70-66 victory.
The Eagles went off early, going on a 9-2 run that gave them a double digit lead. LSU would respond to get it back down to single digits, but North Carolina Central was still able to retain the lead heading into the locker room at the half.
LSU would wake up and make the contest competitive again, taking the lead with 12 minutes remaining. The rest of the way it was a back and forth affair and it looked like an upset could have been in the making, but the Tigers were able to hang on in the final minutes thanks to the Eagles becoming cold in the closing moments.
The Tigers (6-2) will stay in the PMAC on Saturday to take on Texas Southern (4-5) with tipoff set for 5 pm.
By the Numbers
27: Number of points Antonio Blakeney. The sophomore led the Tigers and also had six boards and two assists on the night.
10: Number of turnovers that North Carolina Central’s Patrick Cole had. The Eagles had a total of 17 which the Tigers got 23 points off of.
29.6%: North Carolina Central’s field goal percentage in the second half. For comparison, the Eagles would shoot for 61.3% from the field in the first half and 50% from three point range.
-Clint Domingue