Baton Rouge, LA - A Top-25 battle takes place down on the
bayou this Saturday, as the 24th-ranked Wichita State Shockers take on the
sixth-ranked LSU Tigers.
Wichita State is in the AP Poll for the first time since 1983, as the team
has jumped out to a 3-0 start. The Shockers put an end to George Mason's
12-game home winning streak with a 72-66 triumph last Saturday. Following this
contest, WSU will play three of its next five in front of the hometown
faithful.
As for LSU, it is 2-0 on the season, having disposed of Nicholls State and
UL-Monroe in dominating fashion. The Warhawks posed very little threat as
they fell to the Tigers by 31 points, while the Colonels probably wish they
hadn't shown up at all as they lost by 54.
Wichita State and LSU have met twice previously with each team winning once.
However, it's been 24 years since the last meeting when the Shockers squeaked
out a 66-65 victory.
Sean Ogirri scored 19 points, and three other Shockers finished in double
figures in last week's 72-66 win at George Mason. Ryan Martin set a new career
high with 16 points and recorded his first career double-double by grabbing 11
rebounds, while Kyle Wilson added 16 points and P.J. Couisnard chipped in with
11 in the winning effort. Wichita State took exceptional care of the
basketball, turning it over just seven times and in the process lowering its
turnover rate to 11.7 per game. The Shockers dropped 10 three-pointers in the
contest, and they are now shooting a solid 41.9 percent from beyond the arc,
and have hit no fewer than seven treys in any game thus far. Wilson leads the
team in scoring at 14.7 ppg, but Ogirri is hot on his heels with 14.3 ppg.
Martin and Couisnard check in with 12.3 and 11.0 ppg, respectively, with the
former serving as the team's leading rebounder (8.3 rpg), and the latter its
top playmaker (5.0 apg).
Averaging 21 points and eight rebounds per game, LSU star forward Glen Davis is
off to another impressive start. The 6-9 Baton Rouge native is shooting an eye-
popping 70 percent from the field and 76.5 percent from the foul line. He has
scored in double figures in 42 straight games and has 29 career double-doubles.
Davis poured in a game-high 26 points and grabbed eight boards in LSU's recent
blowout win over UL-Monroe, draining 10-of-15 field goal attempts and 6-of-9
free throws. Tasmin Mitchell, a 6-7 forward averaging 17.5 ppg here in the
early going, was nearly perfect on the night, hitting 7-of-8 shots from the
floor, including 5-of-6 three pointers to finish with a career-high 21 points.
Darnell Lazare and Dameon Mason reached double figures as well, netting 16 and
10 points, respectively, as the Tigers shot 60 percent from the field and
claimed a 42-28 rebounding advantage.
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