LSU ends two-game skid, downs Grambling 78-57

BATON ROUGE – The LSU Tigers ended their two-game losing streak with a fairly convincing 78-57 win over Grambling State.

LSU needed this win in a bad way after their overtime loss to Florida State, and their poor showing against Oklahoma State.

The Tigers benefitted from a balanced scoring effort, with seven players tallying eight points or more.

Tremont Waters scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Tigers, but the story of the game ways the play of Kavell Bigby-Williams and Darius Days. Both came up big after being inserted into the starting lineup.

Bigby-Williams had nine points and a career-high nine blocks, the most by an LSU player since Tyrus Thomas pulled off the feat nearly 13 years ago.

Days came up just shy of his first double-double. He posted season-highs with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Their energy helped the Tigers get out of the gates quickly.

“We were up 14-3 to start the game,” said head coach Will Wade. “I thought that was a big product of those guys. Kavell runs the court hard and blocks shots. Days eats up a lot of rebounds. Those guys did a nice job for us.”

“We didn’t get off to a great start against Oklahoma State so we needed to look at that. I thought those guys gave us the best opportunity to get off to a quick start.”

In the days since, Waters said the Tigers got back to basics.

“We had to come out and show that we have been working on our rebounding and just try to play together as one team and not everyone play for themselves, so I felt we did a pretty good job of that,” he said.

That work on the glass paid off. LSU dominated Grambling 45-24 in rebounds, including 16 offensive boards.

Just as important for Wade was the development of LSU’s offense. Wade experimented with more size on the wings; having Marlon Taylor (9 points) play with Days and Bigby-Williams. Taylor was 3-4 from the floor in 21 minutes.

Marlon Taylor gets out on the break and soars in for the two-handed slam from the baseline. #LSU leading Grambling, 27-19. Seven Tigers with at least one basket. pic.twitter.com/mlKBtowUaO

— David M. Grubb (@DMGrubb) December 1, 2018

Between trying out new lineups and cutting down on miscues, Wade knows the Tigers have plenty of work between now and the start of SEC play in early January.

“We basically put in a new offense in four days,” he said. “We’ve gotta fine tune all that and just get better at it.”

Asked if this win was a good start for LSU finding its identity, Wade was blunt in his assessment.

“It was a start,” he said. “We’ve got some work to do.”

LSU (6-2) will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 9, when they host Incarnate Word at 1 p.m.