Midshipmen Sink Louisiana State in 78-55 Upset

Navy Coach Paul Evans was not surprised the Midshipmen upset Louisiana State Friday in the NCAA Mideast Regional basketball playoffs.

However, he was stunned by the margin, 78-55, over the Tigers, sinking LSU to its 10th consecutive postseason defeat since 1981.

“I didn’t think we could blow out anybody,” Evans said. “But I thought we could play with anybody.”

Dale Brown, LSU’s coach, had a simple explanation of the unexpected rout.

“We just seemed to have a mental burnout,” he said of the Tigers, who finished with a 19-10 record. “It’s a youthful team. There weren’t any signs.

“It wasn’t a fluke. The points are almost incredible. They totally dominated us. You have moments of embarrassment. That’s what it is.”

Nikita Wilson, LSU’s leading scorer this season with more than 15 points per game, scored just nine points before fouling out with 8:27 to play.

John Williams, the Tigers’ 6-8 freshman forward, led LSU with 12 points, the only inside player who produced against Navy’s 2-3 zone defense.

Navy, which last played in the NCAA in 1960, improved its record to 26-5 and earned a spot against Maryland in the second round Sunday in Dayton Arena.

Evans, the first coach to lead a service academy to back-to-back 20-victory seasons, was asked how he thought people would react around the country.

“They’ll probably say LSU stunk, Navy lucked out,” he said. “But we played like we had to play.”

Navy was deadly at the foul line, more than producing the margin of victory. The Midshipmen connected on 34 of 43 free throws, including 24 of 29 in the second 20 minutes to foil any LSU comeback hopes.

Vernon Butler, a 6-7, 235-pound Navy forward, made all 10 of his free throws and paced the ECAC South tournament champions with 20 points. Center David Robinson accounted for 18 points and 18 rebounds.

LSU has lost four straight NCAA games, two in the NIT and four in the Southeastern Conference Tournament in the last four seasons.