A 16-day layoff from competitive action may cause some offensive struggles for a college basketball team, but LSU showed it should not affect defensive efforts.
Playing for the first time since Nov. 29 because of dead week and final exams, the Tigers smothered the Utah Utes Tuesday in the PMAC, holding Utah to 34.8 percent shooting in LSU’s 65-51 victory before a national ESPN audience.
LSU used stellar man-to-man pressure defense and a decisive advantage in quickness and physicality to outclass the Rick Majerus-led Utes.
“I must say that after a 16-day layoff, I thought our team from an effort standpoint defensively was pretty good,” said LSU coach John Brady. “I appreciate the effort and I told them after the game. We guarded them like we supposed to, we had a couple of break downs there at times, but for the most part I thought the pressure and the pride on the ball and the ability to get out and take one pass away and force them out farther from the basket than they wanted to be was the key to us winning the game.”
A stretch from 9:34 remaining in the first half until the 16:51 mark in the second half epitomized the kind of night in was for the Utes.
With LSU leading 17-13, Utah committed seven turnovers, mostly due to the Tigers’ pressure defense, while LSU took advantage and jumped out to a 38-21 lead. LSU never looked back after that point, allowing Utah to get within nine points before pulling away for the final margin of victory.
“They are a good team,” Majerus said of the Tigers. “They are very physical. They intimidated us. They got 17 offensive boards and I counted 11 for baskets. That is 22 points when you don’t block out. They just took it to us and pounded us right there.”
Once again, it was LSU’s inside game that set the tone for the Tigers.
Senior forward Jaime Lloreda had 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, while freshman forward Brandon Bass contributed 15 points for eight rebounds.
“He is a tough customer,” Majerus said of Lloreda. “He was an all-league player here last year and he will be an all-league player this year. He is just tough, physical and aggressive. He was more tough, more physical than any of our players; therefore it was a productive night for him.”