Two main contributors for LSU men’s basketball looked even stronger in Monday’s 93-58 clobbering of the Privateers from the University of New Orleans.
UNO is coming off an upset vs. TCU, but it was denied the chance of another comeback through the play of some rising Tiger stars.
Fifth-year senior Marquel Sutton logged his first double-double as a Tiger and helped his team gain 45 more points over UNO while he was on the court, along with 15 rebounds to his name. Michael Nwoko scored a career high 22 points, as both players improved on their solid debuts last week.
“Whatever I need to do for the team to win, that’s what I’m going to do,” Sutton said after the game. “If I need to go rebound, if I need to defend, knock down shots. I feel like that’s who I am.”
Head coach Matt McMahon said that Sutton lives in the gym, putting up shot after shot and getting his reps in.
Nwoko, who McMahon said looked much more relaxed on the court today, had nine field goals, which mainly came as layups or loud dunks. Over half were assisted by Dedan Thomas Jr.
“[It] definitely started day one,” Nwoko said about his connection with Thomas. “Coming in the gym, just having a regular conversation, I just knew I liked this guy off the court. [The] point guard-big man connection has to be important.”
The Tigers kept the same starting lineup as in the season opener against Tarleton State five days prior, which set a program record for team field-goal percentage at 71.7%.
The first half saw LSU out-rebound UNO 27-20. The main contributor for the Tigers in that stat was Sutton with a staggering nine boards.
The rebounds, which McMahon said came from more offensive discipline, helped LSU take 39 shots from the field in the first half and run up the score.
Sutton was also making himself known behind the arc for the Tigers in the first 20 minutes. His three three-pointers led the team, which took almost half of their field goals from three-point range. He added one more to his count by the end of the game.
“He only knows one speed on the floor,” McMahon said about the fifth-year. “He plays hard. He’s a warrior.”
Despite Sutton’s success from deep, the long shots began to become a thorn in LSU’s side.
The hot Tigers got cooled off by missed shots and points off lazy turnovers. LSU went four minutes with only one point and let the Privateers bring the game within seven as the game entered an official timeout with just less than eight minutes left in the half.
Nwoko was having none of UNO’s attempted comeback. A slammed alley-oop followed by a made free throw heated up the junior center and the team. He and Thomas’s connection kept moving the Tigers forward on offense.
“I truly feel like we got the best front court in the nation, so why would we not abuse that?” Nwoko said.
He had 12 points in the first half, which included ground-shaking dunks.
The Tigers were energetically sent to the locker room from a last-second slam from Robert Miller III.
The Privateers only scored three points in the first seven and a half minutes of the second half. Jalen Reed and Sutton commanded the LSU defense to spur any momentum-grabbing scoring run from the visitors.
Reed was quickly looking to have an even better game than the season opener and his return to play from an ACL tear. His first three-pointer of the game led to the first media timeout of the half, where UNO’s coaching staff had to get its team to corral the runaway Tigers.
LSU was assisting circles around the Privateers, which McMahon, Sutton and Nowko all cited as unselfish basketball that helped the team excel.
“We have no one on our team that’s selfish,” Nwoko said. “We’ll give up a good shot for an even greater shot at the end of the day.”
LSU’s team play and the Privateers’ poor shooting had continued to break the game open. Opposite field goal streaks saw LSU shoot out to a 67-40 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
LSU piled it on to end the game strong. Three pointers came from the hands of Sutton, Rashad King and freshman Mazi Mosley, who made his first collegiate basket. Nwoko also continued being a force under the basket.
This marks LSU’s second-straight game earning over 90 points.
The hot offense of the Fighting Tigers will look to continue its success Thursday night back at the PMAC against Florida International at 7 p.m. CT.
