National Basketball Association
Louisiana State 91, Kennesaw St. 69
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, November 16, 2015
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Officials:
# AJ Desai, # Antinio Petty, # Ken Washington
Attendance:
9654
By The Sports Xchange
Phenom forward Ben Simmons powered his way to the first 20-point game of his collegiate career, and guard Josh Gray made an efficient return from a one-game suspension to pace No. 23 LSU in a 91-69 rout of Kennesaw State on Monday in Baton Rouge, La.
Simmons, who took just seven shots in LSU's season-opening win against McNeese State, made seven in the first half, keying a 30-8 run that sent the Tigers (2-0) into the locker room with a 44-21 lead.
The true freshman fell one rebound short of a second consecutive double-double, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Suspended for the team's opener after playing in an unsanctioned pickup game, Gray dominated the second half, producing 14 of his 16 total points on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Owls (0-2) were derailed by guard Yonel Brown's foul trouble throughout a sluggish first half in which they went scoreless for nearly seven minutes and shot 27 percent from the field.
Brown, a quick scorer who poured in 34 points in a season-opening loss to Alabama, scored eight points in the first seven minutes of the game before picking up his third foul. He finished with 11 points. Fellow guard Kendrick Ray led the Owls -- and all scorers -- with 25 points.
Kennesaw State forward Nigel Pruitt scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Top Game Performances
Kennesaw St. |
|
Louisiana State |
Kendrick Ray 25 |
Scoring |
Ben Simmons 22 |
Yonel Brown 3 |
Assists |
Josh Gray 6 |
Nigel Pruitt 12 |
Rebounds |
Ben Simmons 9 |
Kendrick Ray 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Brandon Sampson 6 |
Nigel Pruitt 3 |
Steals |
Ben Simmons 4 |
N/A |
Blocks |
Aaron Epps 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Kennesaw St.
|
69 |
37.5 |
7-19 |
14-18 |
10 |
35 |
0 |
5 |
17 |
Louisiana State
|
91 |
50.8 |
6-17 |
19-23 |
21 |
37 |
9 |
13 |
8 |