The LSU men’s basketball team suffered an 87-67 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday night inside the PMAC. The loss comes after two consecutive ranked wins for the Tigers and moves their record to 14-13 overall and 6-8 in SEC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game began with both teams trading buckets early on. Jordan Wright began with the first four for LSU, and after trailing 8-4, they got four straight points capped by a Tyrell Ward transition basket. That brought us to the first media timeout tied at eight.
The next stretch of play saw more of the same, as each team found success offensively. At a couple of points, LSU stretched the lead out to five, but the Bulldogs answered each time, led by Tolu Smith for much of it. After trailing 18-13, Mississippi State put together a 7-0 run, retaking the lead.
LSU got off to a slow start from beyond the arc, missing six of their first seven from outside. However, they tried to adjust quickly, going inside instead. Will Baker made a scooping layup to tie the game at 25 before the under eight minute media timeout in the first half.
Closing in on five minutes left in the half, LSU took a 29-27 lead. However, the Bulldogs created a run after that. An 11-3 run over that final stretch of play gave Mississippi State the 40-33 halftime lead.
Early in the second half, LSU got back-to-back buckets from Baker and Trae Hannibal and looked like they might be poised to cut into the lead. However, Smith answered with four of his own and the Bulldogs continued to build the lead. Trying to keep pace, a Hannibal layup made it 51-42 with LSU seeming poised to cut further into the deficit. That, though, sparked another Bulldog run as this time a 7-0 stretch made it 58-42.
LSU put together a 10-4 run out of that break, capped by another Hannibal layup. That got the game to 62-52, with once again a chance to get inside single digits in the deficit. The Bulldogs once again answered, this time with a Cameron Matthews three-point play to make it 65-52.
With the game teetering at 69-54, Josh Hubbard hit a step-back three at the expiration of the shot clock, which felt like a dagger to LSU. The run would continue as the lead grew to 27 at one point, and that would be too much to overcome. The Tigers fell 87-67.
BIG NUMBER: 51
Josh Hubbard and Tolu Smith combined for 51 points. Smith got it going early and Hubbard picked up where he left off, continuously making big buckets for the Bulldogs.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Josh Hubbard
Hubbard was an easy choice, as he went off for 32 points in the victory. He did so by making six threes and also all eight of his free throw attempts as he led the way for Mississippi State in the victory.
UP NEXT: LSU will remain at home, as they prepare to play host to Georgia on Tuesday, February 27th at 6:00 PM inside the PMAC.