LSU goes to 4-0 in SEC by whipping South Carolina 89-67
Both Emmitt Williams and Kavell Bigby-Williams registered double-doubles as LSU opened its Southeastern Conference schedule with four victories for the first time in 13 seasons by knocking off South Carolina 89-67 at the PMAC on Saturday evening.
DECISIVE STRETCH OF THE GAME
LSU took control of the game during a two-minute span early in the first half. With the score tied at 11-11, the Tigers went on a 10-2 run. Five players scored points in this stretch. Naz Reid, Tremont Waters, Skylar Mays and Williams made field goals and Darius Days sank two free throws. Williams’ basket put LSU on top 21-13 with 12:03 before halftime. The Tigers had another spurt over the final six minutes of the first half when they outscored South Carolina 15-4. Williams scored seven of those 15 points as LSU built a 48-28 halftime advantage.
LSU PLAYER OF THE GAME
Williams had the best game of his freshman season by accounting for 15 points and 13 rebounds in just 24 minutes. The 15 points equaled Williams’ season-high and his 13 rebounds were a career-best. Williams made nine of his ten free throw attempts. He also snagged five offensive rebounds. Williams, who recorded his third double-double of the season, scored seven points in a six-minute stretch late in the first half when the Tigers went ahead 48-28.
KEY TEAM STATISTICS
Field goal shooting: South Carolina 44% (28-of-64), LSU 42% (27-of-64)
Three-point field goal shooting: South Carolina 26% (5-of-19), LSU 169% (3-of-19)
Free throw shooting: LSU 91% (32-of-35), South Carolina 43% (6-of-14)
Rebounds: LSU 49, South Carolina 29
Offensive rebounds: LSU 15, South Carolina 6
Assists: LSU 12, South Carolina 7
Steals: LSU 11, South Carolina 6
Points in the paint: LSU 42, South Carolina 32
Points off turnovers: LSU 20, South Carolina 12
Second-chance points: LSU 20, South Carolina 12
Bench points: LSU 34, South Carolina 22
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
LSU
Emmitt Williams: 15 points, 13 rebounds
Naz Reid: 15 points, 6 rebounds
Kavell Bigby-Williams: 12 points, 11 rebounds
Ja’vonte Smart: 12 points, 6 rebounds
Tremont Waters: 12 points, 6 assists
Marlon Taylor: 10 points, 6 rebounds
Skylar Mays: 6 points, 5 steals
SOUTH CAROLINA
A.J. Lawson: 18 points, 5 rebounds
Keyshawn Bryant: 10 points
NOTES
LSU’s starting lineup consisted of Bigby-Williams and Reid in the post, Mays and Taylor on the wings and Waters at point guard. The only player who logged 30 minutes was Smart. None of the starters played more than 27 minutes. . .Bigby-Williams delivered his fifth double-double of the season – his third in four SEC games. Bigby-Williams was 5-of-7 from the field. He has made five of seven field goal attempts in games against Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina. . .Reid’s 15 points were his second most in a SEC game. Reid had 27 points at Arkansas. . .Waters made two of LSU’s three 3-point shots. He was 5-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-5 on 3-pointers. . .Smart scored 12 points, but he made fewer than 50 percent of his field goal attempts for the eighth consecutive game. In that stretch, Smart is 23-of-78 from the field (29 percent). . .Taylor scored in double figures for the third straight game. Eight of his ten points came at the foul line. He was 1-of-6 on field goal attempts. . .Mays, who was 3-of-9 from the field, has made fewer than half of his shots in all four SEC games. Mays has made 13 of 38 shots (34 percent) from the field in the four SEC games. . .Days had five points and two rebounds in 16 minutes before fouling out. . .Marshall Graves made a 3-point shot. . .South Carolina made six free throws. Three Tigers players made more than six foul shots – Williams with nine, Taylor with eight and Reid with seven. . .LSU’s lead in the second half was never fewer than 19 points. The Tigers largest advantage was 33 points at 71-38. . .LSU has won its first four SEC games for the first time in 13 seasons. The 2006 Final Four team started the conference schedule with seven victories. . .The Tigers have won seven games in a row for the first time in four seasons. . .LSU has won four consecutive SEC games for the first time in seven seasons. . .The Tigers have won 17 straight home games for the first time in ten seasons. . .LSU has defeated back-to-back SEC opponents by at least 14 points for the first time in ten seasons. The Tigers beat Georgia 80-62 and Alabama 76-62 in 2009. . .LSU is 14-3 overall. The Tigers and Tennessee, which beat Alabama 71-68 on Saturday, are the only teams unbeaten in SEC play. The Vols are 5-0. . .South Carolina, whose five game winning-streak came to an end is 9-8 overall, 4-1 in the SEC. . .The 22-point margin of victory was the second largest for the Tigers against the Gamecocks. LSU defeated South Carolina 85-62 in 1993. . .The paid attendance was 11,607 – the largest of the season. The actual crowd was a little more than 9,000 – the largest of the season.
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
Coach Will Wade’s comments: “Obviously, I was pleased with the win. We played well in the first half. To shoot 32-of-35 from the free throw line is tremendous. We did a great job attacking the paint. We had good pace and good spacing, especially in the first half. We did a good job on the backboards. We did a great job on the offensive glass. Our defense is active. It was really good that we were able to convert their turnovers into points.”
UP NEXT
LSU will play host to Georgia at the PMAC on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central. The Bulldogs (9-8, 1-4) lost to Florida 62-52 in Athens on Saturday afternoon. The LSU-Georgia game will be available on the SEC Network.
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