Walking into the press conference after his team’s 71-62 victory against South Alabama in the championship game of the Hispanic College Funds Classic, LSU head basketball coach John Brady asked the media if anyone had any headache pills.
After watching his team commit 20 turnovers and shoot 13-of-24 from the free throw line, Brady was not feeling so well.
But a win is a win, and the Tigers improved their record to 2-0 in the infant stages of the 2002 season.
“Had we not defended in the second half and responded and rebounded, we would not have won the game,” Brady said. “If you saw the game I saw, we struggled to score. We missed quality shots, we missed layups around the goal, and from an offensive standpoint, we are a ways away.”
LSU opened the game with two Brad Bridgewater layups, and it looked as if the offensive gates would be wide open.
However, USA went on a 6-0 run and led the rest of the first half, taking a 34-30 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers shot 40 percent from the field, and turned over the basketball 12 times in the first stanza.
At the beginning of the second half, it looked like a completely different LSU team had taken the court.
The Tigers used some hot shooting and uncontested fast break dunks to go on a 15-2 run and never looked back.
For the half, LSU shot a sizzling 59.3 percent and forced eight USA turnovers on its way to victory.
In an ongoing theme through the first two games, it was the young players and first-year contributors who led the Tigers and the senior veterans who struggled.
2002 Junior College Player of the Year Jaime Lloreda made the biggest impact, finishing the game perfect, going 7-of-7 from the field. He also pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.
“My teammates did a good job today getting the ball inside,” said the Panama native with a heavy accent. “I got more opportunities to shoot the ball today than last game, so that was the difference today.”
Freshman Darrel Mitchell continued his impressive antics on the court, scoring seven points and grabbing five boards.
But seniors Torris Bright, Ronald Dupree and Collis Temple combined for 10-of-27 shooting and eight turnovers in a trend that worries Brady.
“Our veteran players have thought for some reason they are just going to go out and play, and it is just going to happen,” Brady said. “Well it did not happen for them, we had to make it happen.”
Despite their poor play, Brady plans ride his horses.
“Am I not going to stick with them,” Brady said. “No I am not. That has never been my style. Those are the guys who have won games for us, and they are going to win games for us.”
The Tigers next play Saturday, Nov. 30, when they travel to Houston to face Texas A&M in the Space City Classic at 1:30 p.m.