Size is the biggest advantage LSU men’s basketball will have on most nights, as it did against North Texas.
Between 7-foot Will Baker and 6-foot-10 Derek Fountain, the Tigers attacked the paint on offense and clogged it up on defense, coming up with a 66-62 win over the Mean Green, putting LSU at 2-2 on the season.
LSU came out in the second half with an increased emphasis on attacking the paint, something it struggled to do in the first half. The Tigers made efforts to feed Baker in the post, and he effectively iced the game with a fadeaway jumper to put LSU up 64-59 with 37 seconds remaining.
Baker finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
Fountain’s energy and ability to score off the bench made a big difference. He attacked the basket with force and was incredibly important on the defensive end, challenging many of North Texas’ shot attempts and coming up with crucial rebounds.
The starter at power forward for LSU last year, Fountain checked in for Jalen Reed early in the second half and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Reed checked out with 17:41 left in the second half and didn’t come back into the game. Reed has had his moments this year but was quiet against North Texas, leading head coach Matt McMahon to turn to Fountain.
LSU’s defense improved in the second half. North Texas found very few easy shots, with the Tigers denying it in the paint and sticking to it on the perimeter.
Though North Texas drew plenty of fouls, shooting 10 second-half free throws, LSU’s defense made the UNT offense uncomfortable.
North Texas shot just 22.6% in the second half and had 10 points in the paint on the game, compared to 36 for LSU. From the 15:31 point of the second half on, UNT hit just four shots from the floor.
The Mean Green’s guard play made stopping their offense a difficult task. LSU finally found some stability in the second half, but the perimeter defense was up and down in the first frame.
The Tigers fought and forced a handful of turnovers, but there were big lapses. LSU allowed open threes off overaggressive help on a number of occasions.
The Tigers were also victim to a few 3-pointers that came off offensive rebounds for North Texas, which plagued LSU against Dayton as well. North Texas finished with seven offensive rebounds.
Even when LSU was able to stick to UNT’s shooters on the perimeter, it sometimes didn’t matter. The Mean Green’s guard play stood out, with Rubin Jones, John Buggs III and Jason Edwards each making tough shots in isolation.
Those kinds of talented guards that can make things happen with the ball are something, once again, that was missing for LSU, with Jalen Cook still ineligible to play. It seems increasingly likely that his absence will be the headline of the season.
Freshman point guard Mike Williams III struggled running the offense in the first half. While Williams played tough on the defensive end, forcing two steals, his passes and decision-making weren’t sharp.
In the first half, LSU was slow to get into sets and began its offense from far out, which made it difficult to operate quickly and create pressure in the paint.
That difficulty in the first half, with an offense primarily running through Williams on the perimeter, led the Tigers to make the second half adjustment to play through Baker and Fountain.
Graduate transfer Jordan Wright helped keep the LSU offense afloat in the first half, finishing with 12 points.
LSU will finish off the Charleston Classic on Sunday, facing the winner of Towson versus Wake Forest.
