LSU showed no ill-effects of sophomore guard Anthony Hickey’s suspension as junior guard Andre Stringer stepped in to score 18 points in an 80-67 win against Chattanooga.
Making his first start of the season, Stringer filled in admirably for the embattled Hickey, dishing out four assists and grabbing three steals.
“I definitely thought I had to take care of the offense,” Stringer said. “It was a good opportunity for me to take control of the team.”
Sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III put in another 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, consistently fighting off double teams for his third straight double-double.
O’Bryant became the first LSU player since Storm Warren in 2009 to record three straight double-doubles.
“Sometimes they came [with the double team] from the top, sometimes they didn’t,” O’Bryant said. “I just tried to kick the ball out, repost, split the posts and just tried to work hard.”
Stringer teamed with freshman guard Corban Collins to run the point, combining for seven assists and only four turnovers, pleasing LSU coach Johnny Jones
“I thought both of those guys managed the game extremely well,” Jones said. “I thought they also played well together at times and fed off of each other.”
The Tigers (6-0) raced out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes, powered by five points from Stringer and a layup from senior center Andrew Del Piero.
After a back-and-forth first 8 minutes, the Mocs (2-7) took a 23-20 lead, their last of the contest, on a Ronrico White three pointer.
Spurred by two fast break dunks by O’Bryant and senior guard Charles Carmouche, the Tigers surged ahead to bring a 42-30 lead into the locker room and never looked back.
“We just knew we had to defend the ball,” Stringer said. “Our ability to rotate guys from the backside and help guys on our help defenses is what was great tonight.”
The Mocs would get as close as two in the second half, but the Tigers went on an 11-0 run, capitulated by four straight points from junior forward Shavon Coleman to put the game away.
Completing its six game home stand unblemished, LSU will hit the road for three games in nine days, facing Boise State on Friday, followed by contests at UC-Irvine and Marquette.
“I think the challenge for us is going to be on the road,” Jones said. “Now, we’ve just got to take our next step on that journey and see what happens.”
Andre Stringer (10), LSU junior guard, shoots the ball Tuesday, Dec. 11, during the LSU vs. Chattanooga game.
