The LSU Tigers (1-0) first game of the 2018-19 season was filled with a lot of emotion from the opening tip to after the game when the university paid tribute to the late Wayde Sims. The emotion was a driving force for Will Wade and his team as they came away with an impressive 94-63 win over Southeastern Louisiana (0-1).
How It Happened;
The Tigers fired out the gates with a 10-0 run out the gate and were able to make it a 12-point lead with 10:18 left in the first half thanks to Emmitt Williams getting a pair of shots to go down. That started an impressive 17-1 run to make it a 20-point ballgame before halftime.
The second half started with an early back-and-forth between the two teams and Parker Edwards was a big reason why. The freshman racked up 25 points and went six of eight from three-point range. However, it was too little too late as LSU slammed the door shut with a dunk from Darius Days with 2:58 left in the ballgame to increase their lead back up to 30 points.
Key Play of the Game: Dominant Start
It only took 12 seconds for LSU to put up their first points of the new season when Tremont Waters layed it up and in. That was just the beginning as they got out to a 10-0 lead right after the first media timeout.
You look at some of the LSU teams of the past, you would’ve seen this game be closer until halftime. That wasn’t the case on Tuesday and year two of Will Wade is off to an incredibly fast start.
Player of the Game: Emmitt Williams
The freshman out of Fort Myers, Florida had a phenomenal debut in the purple and gold that may have been overshadowed by Naz Reid’s 17 points. However, seeing a freshman put up a double-double in their first game isn’t something you see everyday and Williams put up 12 points and 10 boards in only twenty minutes of work showed how integral he is to this program’s success.
Big Number: 48.5
While some of the individual performances for the Tigers were impressive, their shooting from the field left a lot to be desired, shooting only 48.5 percent from the field. Their next game will be a true test for LSU’s scoring offense and if they underwhelm like they did on Tuesday, UNC Greensboro could make it a ballgame on Friday night at the PMAC.
Coach Speak: The Sixth Man
“It’s kind of hard to explain.” Skylar Mays said about the sixth man on Tuesday night, “(Wayde Sims) was our engine. He brought so much to the team outside of the box score. He inspired us when he was still with us, and now, he inspires us even more. I feel like as the season goes on you’re going to see a lot of inspired basketball from us.”
Next Up: Hosting UNC Greensboro; Tipoff at 7 pm
-Clint Domingue