NICEVILLE, FLA. – LSU relied on dominant inside play to earn a 71-62 victory past Drake to advance to Saturday’s championship of the Emerald Coast Classic
LSU will meet DePaul in a 6 p.m. tip that will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
LSU held off a late charge by the Bulldogs after the freshman center Griffen Goodbary stole a pass at midcourt and then connected on a three-point basket to pull Drake within 66-60 with 54.3 seconds left
“I’m extremely proud of our team. Drake has an excellent team, “ said LSU coach Matt McMahon, whose squad improved to 6-0.” “Incredibly well coached…We just couldn’t put them away.”
The Tigers outscored Drake in the paint,40-20 while blocking six shots.
Junior guard Dedan Thomas paced LSU with 18 points, including 11 in the second half, while dishing out a game-high five assists. Center Michael Nwoko had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers, while guard Max Mackinnon had 11 points.
Rashad King came off the bench scoring a season-high nine points, while collecting five rebounds and two steals.
“He’s (King) a guy I really believe in,” said LSU Coach Matt McMahon. He’s an elite three-point shooter. He had strong drives to the basket. His defense was fantastic.”
Drake struggled from the floor in the first half shooting just 26.7 percent, missing its first seven shots to open the game. The Bulldogs then made just two baskets in the last 8:11 in the first half.
LSU took advantage, mounting a 33-17 advantage before settling for a 38-24 halftime lead.
Guard Jalen Quinn led Drake with 20 points, including 11 in the first half, before fouling out with 4:02 left in the contest. The Bulldogs will play Georgia Tech in the third-place game at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Guard Jaehshon Thomas collected a season-high 16 points, including 13 in the second half.
Goodbary finished with a career high 10 points for Drake, while dishing out a career and team-high five assists.
