Exhibition games do not count toward a basketball team’s final win-loss record, but they do help in boosting confidence and developing better team chemistry between newcomers and veterans.
LSU opened its exhibition season Wednesday night with a 108-57 win against Belhaven, but possibly more important was the way the Tigers’ newcomers performed in their first collegiate game at the PMAC.
Junior college transfer guard Marcus Thornton led LSU in scoring with 22 points. Highly-touted freshman forward Anthony Randolph added 20 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.
Randolph said he was extremely nervous before tip-off, but once the ball was in the air, the feeling slowly subsided.
“Once I started playing it was like a dream come true,” Randolph said. “All my hard work through high school and dedication finally paid off.”
Randolph, who Rivals.com rated the No. 12 prospect in the 2007 class, had two steals in the first two minutes of the game and used his 6-foot-10-inch frame to cause several deflections and turnovers.
LSU had 15 turnovers and forced 25 turnovers in the contest. The Tigers also blocked 11 shots compared to Belhaven’s one block.
The final score was not completely indicative of LSU’s overall performance.
It took a while for the Tigers to settle into a groove. LSU shot only 46 percent from the field in the first half but finished the game shooting 58 percent from the floor.
LSU’s defense also came alive after intermission, holding the Blazers to 26 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
Aside from increasing the team’s focus and intensity, halftime also helped in calming some of the players’ nerves.
“I had to get all the butterflies out,” Thornton said. “I was just happy to be out there in the first half.”
Thornton, a Baton Rouge native, hit nine of his 18 shots and finished the game 3-of-9 from behind the arc.
Both Randolph and Thornton started for the Tigers, but it was freshman guard Bo Spencer who provided a somewhat unexpected spark off the bench.
Spencer backed up junior guard Garrett Temple and played 20 minutes, scoring nine points and dishing out eight assists. He also committed no turnovers.
“That’s pretty good for a freshman point guard to be able to do that,” said LSU coach John Brady.
Spencer’s pre-game emotions were no different from that of his fellow newcomers.
“It was my first college game, and I was in warmups saying ‘Man, I’m finally here,'” he said. “I was so nervous. Then I hit my first shot, and it was just like any other game.”
Two veterans also played a big role in LSU’s victory. Junior forward Tasmin Mitchell hit 60 percent of his shots and finished the game with 18 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Terry Martin added 13 points and had five assists.
Belhaven guard Dax Miller scored 24 points and was the only Blazers player in double figures.
The Tigers return to action Tuesday against EA Sports for their final exhibition contest before the regular season begins against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 12.
——Contact Tyler Batiste at [email protected]