JOURNAL SPORTS
LSU Shreveport, opening the season ranked No. 9 in the NAIA men’s basketball Top 25, erased a 16-point halftime deficit and scored the first 12 points of overtime to defeat East Texas Baptist 85-78 in its season debut Monday at The Dock.
Alexzaye Johnson led the Pilots with a career-high 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting, adding seven rebounds and eight assists. Diego Eslava scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers and a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line, and Doreante Tucker added 16 points with four 3-pointers.
Trailing 43-27 at the break, the Pilots wasted no time chipping away. Tucker caught fire, knocking down three 3-pointers in less than four minutes, and Johnson capped an 11-2 run with a jumper that pulled LSUS within 53-52 with 11:54 remaining.
The teams traded baskets the rest of the way, with nine ties in the second half. With the score knotted at 69, Johnson grabbed a defensive rebound and found Terrance James for a dunk that gave the Pilots a 71-69 lead with 1:04 left, their first lead of the second half. The Tigers tied it at 71 with 47 seconds remaining, but East Texas Baptist missed its final two shots, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer, to send the game to overtime.
LSUS took control in the extra period behind five points from Eslava and four free throws by Nico Jones. East Texas Baptist did not score in overtime until the final minute.
The Pilots spend Halloween weekend in Parkville, Missouri, for the Remy Williams Memorial Classic, facing No. 7 Georgetown College and No. 3 Arizona Christian.