Barber helps NC State beat LSU
NC State forward Lennard Freeman celebrates as forward Abdul-Malik Abu rolls on the floor after he was fouled during overtime Tuesday against LSU.
LSU forward Ben Simmons shoots over N.C. State guard Maverick Rowan during the first half Tuesday.
Ben Simmons did not impact the game with his shooting. His passing might have had even more of an impact if LSU was able to make more plays.
He had 10 assists and 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double, but the 22nd-ranked Tigers were handed an 83-72 loss by North Carolina State Tuesday night in the consolation game of the Legends Classic.
Simmons became the eighth LSU player in the last 42 years to get 20 points and 20 rebounds Monday against Marquette but with North Carolina constantly crowding the paint, he turned into more of a passer than a shooter.
The Australian, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft and had 51 NBA personnel in attendance Monday, missed his first five shots before hitting a layup with 38 seconds remaining in regulation that forged a 65-65 tie. He missed the subsequent foul shot and was a non-factor after regulation, fouling out in the first minute of overtime.
“I think that’s what probably people have to learn to appreciate being that he has the ability to impact the game in a lot of different ways,” LSU coach Johnny Jones said. “Every night he’s not going to come out and score, a lot of people are going to devise maybe to try and take him away. When you look at 10 assists, it could have been more. He put his teammates in great situations to get open shots and if they’re able to deliver it’s a great night for us.”
Even though Simmons was more of a passer than a shooter, it did not help LSU, which shot 36 percent. Tim Quarterman led the Tigers with 19 points while Brandon Sampson came off the bench and added 18.
No. 19 Vanderbilt 86, Wake Forest 64: Wade Baldwin IV and Damian Jones both scored 17 points, and No. 19 Vanderbilt easily handled Wake Forest 86-64 on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
The Commodores (5-0) will play the winner of the game between No. 5 Kansas and UCLA for the championship today.
Jones, who grabbed 10 rebounds, was 6 for 10 from the field and Baldwin was ever better at 6 for 8. The Commodores were never threatened in the second half and led by as many as 24 points.
No. 24 Cincinnati 64, Southeastern Louisiana 49: For the first time all season, No. 24 Cincinnati had a game on its hands in the final minutes. The Bearcats started playing like a ranked team.
Troy Caupain and Jacob Evans III scored 15 points apiece and led a closing surge that carried poor-shooting Cincinnati to a 64-49 victory over Southeastern Louisiana Tuesday night.
Playing as a ranked team for the first time in two seasons, the Bearcats (5-0) struggled to make shots and led by only three points midway through the second half – their first close call of the season.
“We had not been in a game, so it’s good for us to get in a little bit of a game, maybe wake our guys up a little bit,” coach Mick Cronin said. “We’re not very tough right now. Things have been too easy for us, way too easy for us.”
Evans made a pair of free throws and back-to-back 3s that helped Cincinnati pull away down the stretch, finishing with a career high. Gary Clark had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Southeastern Louisiana (1-4) was coming off a coming off 92-65 loss at Nebraska Sunday.
No. 13 Indiana 83, St. John’s 73: Yogi Ferrell had 22 points and seven assists to lead No. 13 Indiana to an 83-73 victory over St. John’s on Tuesday in the consolation round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
Freshman center Thomas Bryant had a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the Hoosiers (4-1), who lost to Wake Forest 82-78 in the closing seconds of their opening-round game.
Indiana will play UNLV for fifth place today.
Federico Mussini and Ron Mvouika had 17 points each for the Red Storm (3-2), who played much better than they did in their 92-55 pasting from No. 19 Vanderbilt in the first round.
Ferrell had an answer every time St. John’s tried to close in in the second half.