March 21 (UPI) -- LSU freshman forward Naz Reid made his presence known early during the Tigers' first round matchup against Yale on Thursday in Jacksonville.
The projected first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft pick showed off his athleticism with a vicious throw down midway through the first half at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Yale had the ball at the start of the sequence before senior guard Trey Phills turned it over.
Phills had a pass picked off by Tigers guard Tremont Waters. Waters broke down the right flank in transition and threw a pass between three Bulldogs defenders, finding Reid near the 3-point line.
Reid took one step after receiving the shovel pass. He then elevated toward the rim and put the ball high in his right hand before throwing down the nasty one-handed finish. Reid's dunk gave the Tigers a 25-19 advantage.
The LSU star had five points and five rebounds at halftime. LSU led Yale 45-29 at the break. Waters had 13 points and six assists at halftime for the Tigers.
Reid, 19, was the No. 18 overall recruit in the 2018 ESPN 100 and ranked No. 22 overall in the class of 2018, according to 247 Sports.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward averaged 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season for LSU.
The No. 3 Tigers face No. 11 Belmont or No. 6 Maryland if they beat No. 14 Yale in the first round.
