The Tigers of Louisiana State were not just what the doctor ordered for the banged-up Bulldogs of Mississippi State. LSU scorched the nets of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Saturday night almost 63 percent of the time, a feat not allowed by MSU in over a year.
National Juco Player of the Year Jaime Lloreda scored a game-high 19 points in just 26 minutes in his first action since sustaining a bruised knee in a Jan. 5 loss at Georgia. Senior Ronald Dupree scored 18 and snagged a game-high 12 rebounds. The play of both forwards led to a 50-26 edge on points in the paint.
Senior guard Torris Bright delivered an immaculate performance as LSU improved to 11-2 and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Bright went 7-7 from the field, including 2-2 from behind the arc and 1-1 from the charity stripe. Bright also shined with his ball handling as he posted 10 assists and three steals.
“There have been a lot of players that have come through here, but I don’t know if a point guard has had a game like that here in a long time,” LSU head coach John Brady said.
The Bulldogs not only suffered in the win-loss column against Florida but also had leading scorer and rebounder Mario Austin suffer a bruised knee in a collision.
Austin, who did not start, estimated that he was at 55 percent of his normal ability. A hobbling Austin scored 17 and led the Dawgs in rebounds with seven but was clearly not the dominant force MSU fans are accustomed to seeing.
“Tonight I couldn’t give my team what it needed on defense because I couldn’t move laterally,” Austin said. “I really wasn’t able to rebound well.”
LSU won the battle of the boards 31-24 (19-7 in the first half), a stat that displeased MSU head coach Rick Stansbury.
Junior guard Timmy Bowers made five of eight 3-pointers and tied with Austin’s 17 for the Dawgs’ leading scorer. Senior Michal Ignerski added 14 points for MSU, who dropped to 0-2 in the SEC and 10-3 overall.
Up by as much as 12 in the first session, LSU led 39-33 at intermission. The Tigers expanded the lead to 10 points three different times early in the second and led by nine with 15:44 remaining. MSU responded with a 7-0 run in the next three minutes of play, but a 54-52 margin would be as close as the game would be.
LSU ballooned its lead to 17 with under two minutes before finishing the Dawgs off 85-72. Up next for MSU is an eagerly awaited showdown with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama stands at 1-1 in the SEC after losing at Vanderbilt Saturday. This will be the first meeting of these pre-season conference favorites since the Bulldogs prevailed in the SEC championship last March.
Those unable to make the trip will be able to watch the 7 p.m. tip-off on JP Sports.