Box Score EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice turned in one of its most impressive all-around efforts of the season in an 86-62 victory over Baton Rouge CC on Wednesday inside the HPRE Center. The Bengals (13-4) won their conference opener for the second consecutive season.
LSUE pulled away from the Bears with a 14-0 run midway through the second half, taking up 5:18 and pushing the Bengals lead to 67-46. The backcourt duo of
Jonathan Cisse (Grand Coteau, LA, St. Thomas More HS) and
Isaiah Payne (Ville Platte, LA, Pine Prairie HS) shined after intermission, combining for 21 of the team's 42 points in the second half.
Cisse finished with a game-high 22 points off of 7-for-18 shooting from the floor, including three three-pointers. The freshman guard also led the way in the first half with 12 points to give LSUE a 44-33 lead into the break.
Mamady Djikine (Paris, France, Lee Academy (ME)) was the other LSUE player to score in double digits, bucketing 13 points in 16 minutes of action.
The Bengals deployed a stingy defensive effort, holding BRCC to just 23-for-69 shooting (33.3%) including 0-for-14 from long distance.
Jevon Berry (Arnaudville, LA, Cecilia HS) was a standout out on the defensive end, tallying four steals to go along with 8 points and 8 rebounds. LSUE forced 24 turnovers, turning that into 29 points.
LSUE also held a decisive edge on the glass, outrebounding BRCC 54-36 including a team-high nine rebounds by
Semaj Matthews (New Orleans, LA, Landry-Walker HS).
The Bengals will enter the toughest stretch of LCCAC play with a three-game road swing starting Saturday at Southern-Shreveport. The doubleheader will begin with women's action at 2:00PM.
