LSU will try to stay perfect at home when the Tigers host Prairie View A&M, which is winless on the road this season, on Monday evening in Baton Rouge, La.
The Tigers (10-1) are 6-0 this season at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, while the Panthers (5-6) enter Monday’s matchup with a 0-5 mark away from home. Both teams are coming off home victories, as LSU topped Southeastern Louisiana 78-65 on Friday as Marquel Sutton posted game highs of 19 points and nine rebounds.
Tai’Reon Joseph is coming off a 26-point outing as the Panthers dominated Paul Quinn College 101-64 on Saturday in Prairie View, Texas. Joseph leads the team with a 21.1 scoring average.
LSU is riding a two-game winning streak, with both wins coming at home. The Tigers recorded 50 points in the paint in an 89-77 win against SMU and exploded for 50 first-half points in the victory against Southeastern Louisiana. Sutton led the Tigers with 23 points against SMU and has posted double digits in three of his last four games.
“Fifty-four percent from the floor, 40% from three, and we had four guys in double figures, so there’s good balance there,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said following the win against SLU. “And Marquel Sutton — such a warrior.”
LSU is shooting 51.8% from the field this season and is outrebounding opponents an average of 40.1 to 32.3. Michael Nwoko leads the team with 15.5 points per game while Sutton leads with 9.2 rebounds.
Prairie View has squandered some opportunities, such as a first-half lead in a 72-69 road loss at North Texas on Nov. 30, and falling short of a complete comeback in a 97-85 defeat at South Dakota on Dec. 13.
However, the Panthers have dominated in their last two home games, including a 124-62 rout of Champions Christian College on Dec. 6. They head to Baton Rouge following the win over Paul Quinn on Saturday, when in addition to Joseph’s big night, Cory Wells posted a team-leading 12 rebounds, about doubling his season average (6.3). Lance Williams (16 points), Joey Madimba (15) and Dontae Horne (13) also reached double figures.
