Field Level Media
22 Nov 2022, 11:55 GMT+10
LSU and Akron both earned decisive victories in their opening games in the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday in George Town, Cayman Islands.
They figure to have a more competitive contest when they face off in the semifinals of the three-day tournament on Tuesday afternoon.
The Tigers (4-0) took a 27-point halftime lead against Illinois State and coasted to a 77-61 win despite a sloppy second half in the opener. The Zips (3-1) defeated Western Kentucky 72-53.
"IT was an awesome first 20 minutes," LSU coach Matt McMahon said. "We looked like a fundamentally-sound offensive team in the first half that shared the basketball and moved it well."
Forward KJ Williams entered the game averaging 11.7 points a game but scored 12 in the first 15 minutes. He added the Tigers' final 10 points of the first half, nine of their first 10 in the second and finished with 33.
LSU committed 13 turnovers after halftime.
"The second half was a little ragged, but in the first half I thought our guys were really locked in," McMahon said. "We had a laser focus at the defensive end."
Akron had pretty good defensive focus, too. It limited the Hilltoppers to 37 percent shooting from the floor (10 of 27), including 3 of 10 on 3-pointers.
Akron coach John Groce said he's hoping that playing three games in less than 72 hours away from home will help build team chemistry and give him an opportunity to figure out who he can count on so he can expand his rotation.
"I think when you play three games in three days and you're together for six days, I'm hoping that'll give us some even better chemistry on the court in terms of connection," Groce said. "Knowing where guys are going to be, play more games together against quality opponents, that that will bring us together even more on the court."
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Illinois Intelligencer news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Illinois Intelligencer.
More InformationVancouver Whitecaps forward Tosaint Ricketts on Tuesday announced his retirement after 14 years and 93 career goals for club and ...
Washington - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming trip to Beijing does not mean the United States is heading ...
Joe Biden's announcement of tank supplies to Ukraine came with boasts about boosting American jobsAmid soaring inflation and other economic ...
Recep Tayyip Erdogan deserves the award for his efforts to negotiate a resolution to the conflict, Peter Szijjarto saidHungarian Foreign ...
WASHINGTON - The United States and its allies imposed further sanctions on Myanmar on Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of ...
OverActive Media have secured a spot in the 2023 North America Valorant Challengers League, the company confirmed Tuesday. The team ...
MIAMI, Florida: This decade, the US south is expected to see more new residents than any other region in the ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: After reporting record revenues in the fourth-quarter of 2022, US airlines expect strong travel demand ...
MANILA, Philippines: After a Filipina domestic worker was killed and dumped in the desert in the oil-rich emirate of Kuwait, ...
LONG BEACH, California: Long Beach, California-based Rocket Lab has launched its first mission from the United States, as part of ...
Israel was behind Sunday morning's drone strike on an Iranian munitions facility; the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing American ...
LONDON, England: Of the 14 main battle tanks and additional artillery support it will send to Ukraine, Britain hopes its ...