Last season’s worst 3-point shooting team in the Southeastern Conference may soon be the best.
Freshman guards Ralston Turner and Andre Stringer took all 15 Tiger 3-pointers and knocked down seven to lead the LSU men’s basketball team (1-0) to an 87-78 win in its home opener Friday against Northwestern State (0-1).
Turner went 3-of-6 and Stringer went 4-of-9 from 3-point range as both players finished with 21 points.
“That’s just what they’ve been doing in practice,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson. “Neither one of them is afraid. They’ve both got nice strokes.”
Stringer added five assists but also had six turnovers in his college debut. The Demons had eight fewer turnovers and 15 more offensive rebounds than the Tigers, which contributed to Northwestern State’s 70-40 advantage in total shots.
“I guess you guys want me to be jumping up and down because we won,” Johnson said. “I like winning as much as anybody, but I like playing well. I fully didn’t expect to give up 24 offensive rebounds and have 25 turnovers.”
LSU saw a 29-13 lead disappear after a 25-5 Northwestern State run in the first half. After the Demons took a 38-34 lead, the Tigers scored the next nine points on two Stringer 3-pointers and another from Turner.
LSU took a 43-41 lead into the half and never trailed after capturing a 51-50 lead with 16:21 left in the second half.
Sophomore guard Aaron Dotson added an efficient 17 points, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Dotson, who said he feels “totally different” after knee problems limited his explosiveness last season, drove along the baseline and threw down a dunk in the second half.
“I felt like I could get past my man every time early in the game, so I decided to take it to the hole,” Dotson said. “I was getting fouled a lot, so I saw no reason to stop.”
LSU had no answer for Northwestern State senior forward Will Pratt, who came off the bench and scored 29 points. His playing time was restricted after he received his fourth foul with about eight minutes left in the game.
Northwestern State had four more points in the paint, six more points off turnovers, five more second chance points, two more fast break points and a whopping 43 more points off the bench than LSU.
Johnson said he was more upset about being outrebounded, 36-33, than anything else. The Demons held a 24-9 advantage in offensive rebounds.
“That has nothing to do with being fast and quick and strong,” Johnson said. “That has to do with what’s inside your heart and your head.”
Junior forward Malcolm White finished with three monster blocks and 12 points but only four rebounds. White said he was out of position and needs to adjust to the speed of the game after sitting last season after transferring from Ole Miss.
“It’s just something that will come back to me along the way as we play these non-conference games,” White said. “I’ll be back where I’m supposed to be.”
LSU held a staggering 46-27 advantage in free throw attempts. The Tigers outscored the Demons, 32-13, from the charity stripe, though fouls were abundant at both ends of the court.
LSU and Northwestern State both had five players with at least four fouls. Sophomore forward Eddie Ludwig was the only player to foul out.
Junior forward Storm Warren’s fourth foul came with 15 minutes left in the game, severely limiting his playing time.
He finished with four points in only 17 minutes of action.
Sophomore forward Dennis Harris did not play because of a high ankle sprain.
 
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Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]