02-15-2020, 10:07 AM
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Antonio Blakeney scored 20 points as LSU held off North Florida 78-70 in a non-conference game Friday.The Ospreys, who trailed by 12 points with slightly more than six minutes remaining in the game, reduced their deficit to four over the next two minutes. A basket by Romelo Banks left the Tigers (3-0) ahead 67-63 with 4:11 left.Blakeney then scored six of his 20 points in the last 3 1/2 minutes to enable LSU to pick up the victory. Blakeney made two field goals and a pair of foul shots. Brandon Sampson had a field goal and two free throws in the stretch for the Tigers.This was one of those games where you keep trying to play better as the game goes along, said Blakeney, who scored 26 points in LSUs previous game against Southern Mississippi. You just try to correct the mistakes that you make. I am just happy we got the win.Blakeney was one of four LSU players to score in double figures. Duop Reath had 17 points before fouling out late in the game. Sampson scored 16 points and Aaron Epps added 14.It was a grind game for us in the second half with the way (North Florida) came back, Tigers coach Johnny Jones said. Our guys grinded it out defensively and they executed offensively. Our guys closed out the game well with plays made by Blakeney and several other guys.Four players also scored in double figures for North Florida (1-3). Chris Davenport led the Ospreys with 16 points. Banks, Aaron Bodager and Dallas Moore each had 13 points.North Florida had lost decisively to its first two power conference opponents this season -- Auburn and Miami.Were growing up, North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll said. We didnt let the lead LSU built in the second half demoralize us. We cut it to four points and the guys just kept on fighting. We left so much on the table with 20 turnovers and going 13-for-28 at the free throw line.BIG PICTURELSU: The Tigers were unable to put North Florida away for good until the final minute. LSU saw a nine-point first-half advantage cut to one point at the break. Then, the Tigers lost most of a 12-point lead down the stretch.NORTH FLORIDA: The performance by the Ospreys was quite different from the one two nights earlier against Miami. North Florida scored just 56 points while losing by 38 points to the Hurricanes. The Ospreys outrebounded LSU by ten and shot 44 percent from the field.RUNNING THE SHOWJalyn Patterson played point guard instead of starter Skylar Mays for LSU for most of the game. Patterson only scored one point, but handed out a career-high eight assists and committed just two turnovers in 27 minutes.GROUP EFFORT ON THE BOARDSNorth Florida was able to stay within striking distance of LSU all night because of its work on the boards. It was a team effort for the Ospreys as six players grabbed at least six rebounds. The leader was Romelo Banks, who was credited with nine rebounds.IMPROVED DEFENSELSU coach Johnny Jones has emphasized that his team must play more effectively on the defensive end of the floor this year. North Florida made 44 percent of its field goal attempts -- the highest mark by a Tigers opponent so far this season. LSU has not allowed more than 70 points in any of its first three games. The last time the Tigers had a three-game stretch of not giving up more than 70 points came in the first three games of last season.UP NEXTLSU: The Tigers will play away from home for the first time this season in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas. LSU will meet Wichita State in an opening-round game Wednesday.NORTH FLORIDA: The Ospreys will return home to face their second non-Division I opponent of the season. North Florida will take on Florida National on Tuesday. Anthony Sherman Jersey . 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Now its a matter for Duke to help make Harry Giles more comfortable.The freshmans debut is out of the way, coming in less-than-spectacular fashion.On Wednesday night, hell play less than a half-hour from home when the fifth-ranked Blue Devils (11-1) meet Elon (7-4) at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.Its going to be great going near (the) hometown, Giles said. But its just another chance to go play.The 6-foot-10 player had been out with a knee injury, delaying his much-anticipated first college game. On the recruiting trail, he had been rated the No. 1 player nationally in this freshman class.He was scoreless in four minutes Monday night against Tennessee State, but it was a sign of progress nonetheless.Im just happy to be able to walk off the court healthy. I love the game, he said. My whole goal was getting back on the court. I didnt know when that was going to be.The Blue Devils play their final Atlantic Coast Conference tune-up, so Giles doesnt have much time to get up to speed.Its just a matter of him being in shape, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. He hasnt played in 14 months.For Giles, playing as a reserve and in limited minutes might take time to get used to.Just trying to figure it out, trying to get used to the speed. It was fast, too, he said. Just trying to figure it out and get a feel for it.Frustrating because how it went. ... It was terrible, my performance. I just have to get better. ... That was shaking the rust off, getting the kinks out.Three Duke freshmen began the season out with injuries. Noww theyre all back in various roles.dddddddddddd.It cant be about him or (Marques) Bolden or (Jayson) Tatum or whatever, Krzyzewski said. It has got to be about Duke. Just fit in, and they want to.Elon is coming off Sundays 68-53 road victory against St. Peters, snapping a three-game skid. The Phoenix won despite playing without senior guard Luke Eddy, who was dealing with a knee injury.It was a great team victory, Elon coach Matt Matheny said. Our guys showed a lot of toughness and resiliency in adverse situations. I thought we played really well together.Eddy had a streak of 42 consecutive starts snapped. Hes averaging 11.4 points per game and tops the team with 43 assists.With a 6-1 record, Elon had been off to its best start in 29 years. Then came a narrow loss at Georgetown followed by setbacks to UNC Asheville and Radford.This is an Elon home game at the coliseum, which is about 15 miles from its campus and where the Phoenix have played a few high-profile opponents in recent seasons.Duke owns an 18-5 series lead as the teams will meet for the sixth time in seven seasons. Duke also won in 2013 in Greensboro.Five Elon players are averaging double-figure scoring, led by forward Brian Dawkins at 12.5 points per game, so the available options are numerous.To have multiple guys on the court that can score, even when we make substitutions, I think makes us difficult to guard at times, Matheny said. ' ' '