The LSU Tigers continued to stay alive in the SEC Tournament thanks in large part to star freshman Cam Thomas in a thrilling 78-71 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
How It Happened
The Razorbacks started out strong with an early 5-0 lead, but the Tigers were able to take control briefly before the first media timeout after a layup by Trendon Watford. Moses Moody helped Arkansas get back out in front, taking as much as an eight-point lead with 12:52 left in the first half.
LSU did take over the contest though before halftime with a 15-5 run to take a three-point lead into the locker room.
The second half was a battle early on with neither able to pull away. However, LSU took over around the midway point with a 12-0 run to go up 64-52 with 7:25 left in regulation. Arkansas got within one with 37 seconds left in the game after a fast-break layup by Justin Smith, but the Tigers sealed the game at the free-throw line to advance to their first SEC Championship game since 1993.
Big Number: 17
One of the negative points of LSU’s performance on Friday night against Ole Miss was allowing a lot of second-chance points. This time it turned around and the Tigers put up 17 second-chance points compared to the Razorbacks’ six.
Player of the Game: Cam Thomas
The freshman phenom for the purple and gold was on fire against the Razorbacks, leading the way with 21 points, two boards, and two assists. Thomas was also impressive from three-point range, going four-for six from beyond the arc.
Next Up: SEC Championship Game vs Alabama; Tipoff at 12 pm