The LSU men’s basketball team was without sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III against McNeese State on Tuesday night, but it rode the hot hand of junior forward Shavon Coleman to a 73-48 victory.
Coleman started in place of O’Bryant, who suffered a strained calf against UC Santa Barbara last Friday. Coleman finished the night with a double-double, racking up 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He showed both dominance in the post and a soft touch from the outside as he made two-of-three 3-pointers.
“Shavon is a tough player,” said senior guard Charles Carmouche, “Like I said early on, he’s versatile, he can spread the defense, he can play both inside and out, and that’s what he showed you guys tonight.”
Though Coleman was the star for LSU (2-0), he received an ample amount of help as nine other Tigers contributed to the victory. Sophomore guard Anthony Hickey was the second-leading scorer with 9 points on three 3-pointers. As a team, LSU shot nearly 41 percent from behind the arc.
“We have a very balanced scoring team,” coach Johnny Jones said. “I think all those guys are capable [of scoring].”
The Tigers played lockdown defense against McNeese (1-1), allowing just 48 points as they out-rebounded the Cowboys 50-31 and allowed only one assist.
“I think our guards have done a much better job in terms of their on-ball defense,” Jones said. “… I like the guys’ effort and the pressure they put on people tonight.”
The Tigers return to action at 7 p.m. next Tuesday against Northwestern State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
