EUNICE, La.(PRESS RELEASE) – If their first game was any indication, LSU Eunice men’s basketball will be a hot ticket in town as the weather cools off in Acadiana. The Bengals, in their first game as a program, recorded a blowout 103-70 win Thursday over CMP Prep Academy in front of a packed HPRE Center.
“It took a lot of work to get where this program is and it will take a lot of work to get it where we want it to be,” LSU Eunice men’s basketball head coach Byron Starks said. “We took a good first step tonight, but I’m looking forward to watching this team grow over the next couple of weeks.”
LSUE was led by sophomore Kae Williams and his team-high 27 points. The Bengals had five players reach double figures on the evening.
“I have been telling Kae all preseason long that he has the keys to drive the car,” Starks said. “He played in the post at his old school and only averaged six points a game.”
“We’re asking him to do everything from bringing the ball up to banging down low and he is doing it awfully well so far,” Starks added.
After a sluggish start to the game that saw LSUE tied with CMP Prep early, the backcourt duo of Williams and Brennan Maddox took over. The pair, along with fellow guard Jaylin Walker, scored 38 of the team’s 58 points to give the Bengals a huge 30-point edge at halftime, 58-28.
Maddox finished with 20 points on the evening with Walker tallying 14 points. Michael Smith (14 points) and Jacques Clark (13 points) were the two other Bengals to reach double figures.
CMP Prep was paced by a standout effort from Wilvens Fleurizard, scoring a game-high 37 points including 23 in the second half.
“Considering how many key injuries we have right now, I’m very happy with our team being able to get more than 100 points and have some solid contributions,” Starks noted.
LSU Eunice will continue its season opening homestand with a game Saturday against Texas Prep Sports Academy. Tip-off from the HPRE Center is slated for 2:00PM.
