It wasn’t easy, but LSU men’s basketball pulled away in the second half to beat Northwestern State 77-53 and move to 6-1.
It was the largest margin of victory in a game that the Tigers trailed at halftime since 1964-65. With the win, LSU stayed undefeated at the PMAC through four games.
Here’s what we learned from the victory:
Finishing strong
While 6-1 looks great on paper, LSU’s record ignores half the story. Through the season’s first seven games, the Tigers have only held a lead going into halftime three times. At this point, the Bayou Bengals could be considered the “Cardiac Cats.”
The purple and gold have failed to start hot at home multiple times now, even against inferior competition, yet they’re still 4-0 under their roof.
So, how has LSU kept winning? Strong second halves.
The Demons led the purple and gold by one at the half, 26-25.
“I feel like we played to their pace instead of playing to ours, and that really showed,” Sears said. “In the second half, we played to our pace, you know, sped them up, and you see the results of what can happen when we actually doing our thing.”
The script flipped in the second, as the purple and gold nabbed a 28-26 lead with a Cam Carter 3-pointer to start the second. The Tigers never looked back, outscoring Northwestern State 52-27 in the final period to put the exclamation point on the victory.
The Bayou Bengals can’t afford to start sluggish in SEC play in January, but only a little over a month into the season, it’s clear that the Tigers are a second-half team.
Just slow down and let this squad work its way up to speed, for now.
Jordan Sears, take the wheel
If it wasn’t already apparent, it’s evident that Jordan Sears has been handed the keys to Matt McMahon’s offense, and he’s starting to settle in.
Every time LSU runs a play, it’s almost guaranteed that Sears will touch the ball at least once. The UT Martin transfer is just too dynamic not to be involved.
“Honestly, just the work I put I every day, I put up a lot of shots, so you know, the confidence is always going to be there,” Sears said. “It’s just me shooting the ball.”
Both the confidence and volume were there on Friday, as Sears shot 6-11 from 3-point range to lead the team with 18 points.
The Tigers’ shooting, passing, speed and spacing all significantly improved with Sears on the floor. When he’s on the bench, the offense gets lost, mindlessly chucking up contested attempts. But with Sears on the court, this offense has direction.
Jalen Reed is having a breakout season
It doesn’t take much watching to realize how significantly Jalen Reed has improved since the spring. Reed is one of LSU’s four returning players from 2023, and he’s helped lead the charge to start the 2024 season.
Last season, Reed averaged 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 51.6% from the field. Reed has averaged 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest through the Bayou Bengals’ first seven matchups.
But what’s taken Reed to the next level? His greatly improved body control has aided Reed in making tough finishes through contact and off the glass, and that’s not all.
Even in a game where LSU struggled under the rim early, Reed’s 11 points on 5-9 (55.5%) shooting helped power the purple and gold’s offense through a rough first half and set the tone for the rest of the game.
“We had a really hard time getting them good looks against the zone early, and then I thought as the game went on, he was able to be more effective there,” McMahon said. “The thing I’m most pleased with Jalen: he’s rebounding the ball at a much higher level this year, and I think it’s a credit to all the hard work he’s put in.”
Expect Reed and his size to continue to play a huge role for the Tigers, especially in the month before SEC play.
LSU will look to keep it rolling when they host Florida State in an SEC-ACC clash at the PMAC on Tuesday.
