The LSU Tigers (6-2, 1-1 SEC) came close to increasing their win streak down the stretch of Saturday’s contest against Florida, but were unable to seal the deal and the Gators handed them their first loss since November 28th by the score of 83-79.
How It Happened:
The Tigers came out of the gates strong with a 5-0 run, but Florida responded with a 7-0 run to tie things up with 17:56 left in the first half. From that point on, it was back and forth in the first half with neither team going up by more than five and the Tigers headed into the half tied at 40 after a three-pointer by Anthony Duruji.
After an early lead exchange, Florida started to establish itself with a 9-0 run to take a 51-45 lead with 15:11 left in the contest. The Gators got up by as much as 10 points with 8:27 left in the ballgame, the Tigers fought back in the final moments, getting within four after a fastbreak layup by Cam Thomas with 29 seconds left. However, a personal foul by Jalen Cook in the final seconds resulted in a one-and-one to snap LSU’s five-game win streak.
Big Number: 34
Most of the stats were very much in LSU’s favor on Saturday afternoon, but the Gators cut up the Tigers defense with 34 points in the paint.
Player of the Game: Colin Castleton
The power forward for Florida was all over the place, leading the way with 21 points, six rebounds, and one block on the afternoon.
Next Up: Wednesday vs Georgia; Tipoff at 6 pm