LSU was looking for a spark in the second half against North Florida, and sophomore guard Brandon Sampson provided just that.
LSU went into halftime with a slim lead over North Florida, 34-33, after being out-rebounded 25-13, with only three of those 13 rebounds coming on the offensive end.
Sampson said the team knew it underperformed in the first 20 minutes.
“We went in at halftime and we knew we weren’t executing like we were supposed to,” Sampson said. “It was about executing on offense.”
The Tigers surrendered their lead early in the second half, but Sampson scored 10 of LSU’s first 18 second-half points, draining back-to-back three-pointers at the 14:17 mark to put LSU ahead 52-49.
And just like that, LSU was back in control of the game.
LSU didn’t lose the lead again, although it let the lead dwindle to as little as four points. The Tigers buckled down on defense and converted on the offensive end to win by eight.
“I was just trying to let the game come to me,” Sampson said. “Just trying to be patient and getting open looks. My teammates got me the ball and I took the shots.”
Sampson finished the game with a line of 16 points, 4 assists, and a 5-for-9 shooting clip from the field. The sharpshooter had another strong shooting performance earlier in the week when LSU faced off against Southern Miss, scoring 11 points while shooting 2-4 from beyond the arc.
“I think that’s the beauty of this team,” said coach Johnny Jones. “We have guys especially on the wing with Antonio Blakeney and Brandon Sampson. Both of those guys are prolific scorers. At any time they can go off.”
Sophomore guard Antonio Blakeney scored 18 points alongside Sampson in the backcourt, and junior forward Duop Reath provided 17 points in the post. Junior forward Aaron Epps added 14 points while shooting 50 percent from the field.
In the second half, LSU held North Florida’s Dallas Moore to two points after he dropped 31 on the Tigers last season.
“Overall, coming back in the second half, it was a grind game for us,” Jones said. “Our guys grinded it out defensively.”