LSU, Florida State and St. John's all deliver compelling exhibition wins on Wednesday night

There were four more college exhibition games on Wednesday evening, including two high-major matchups. Among the results, there were a number of standouts, including a few newcomers to their respective teams.

Here’s a look at the results and who stood out. 

UT-Martin 83, Northern Kentucky 79

Notes from this game are sparse since it wasn’t televised or had recorded stats. One thing that did come out was the play of Eric Acker, a transfer from La Salle who scored 24 points for Northern Kentucky. After losing a ton of talent this offseason, it would be great for the Norse’s chances in the Horizon League if he can become a lead guard.

St. John’s 81, Drexel 52

It was a great night for the Storm, with several newly-eligible players having a big impact. Babacar Sane led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds, making 3/4 shots from deep. Point guard Quinn Ellis didn’t make a field goal but did chip in with six rebounds and assists in the win. The defense was top notch as well, holding Drexel to under 26% shooting from the field and 3/24 from three-point range.

Florida State 82, Auburn 71

Despite shooting just 33% from the field, FSU was able to get the road win, thanks to a whopping 34 made free throws. Freshman center Marcis Ponder was the star of the night, producing 13 points and 21 rebounds overall, including 15 in the first half. North Carolina A&T transfer Kameron Taylor looked good as advertised, scoring 19 points to lead the team.

Auburn giving up 50 points in the second half proved to be its downfall. On offense, returning guards Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford combined for 30 points on just 9/33 FG shooting. The one real bright spot for the Tigers was South Alabama transfer Adam Olsen, who had 11 points and made a trio of three-pointers off the bench.

LSU 85, UCF 81

Despite playing just six players on the night in basically a five-man rotation, LSU was able to pull out the close win. Donovan Dent (21-9-11) was one rebound shy of a triple-double, while Abdi Bashir Jr. bounced back after a rough game versus McNeese State to lead all scorers with 26 points, making 6/12 from deep. Big man Michael Ruzic had another strong game inside with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

UCF played 12 guys for at least seven minutes but couldn’t get the win. Dior Johnson scored 18 points (16 in second half) to lead the team, with Lewis Walker and Jason Asemota being standout contributors with 13 points apiece. The good news is that last year’s leading scorer Riley Kugel is reportedly set to return to the Knights pending his eligibility being cleared. 

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