LSU opened their first round in the SEC Tournament by battling Josh Hubbard and Mississippi State. After holding a seven-point lead over the Bulldogs, LSU was outscored by 17 points in the second half behind a 14-point half from freshman Josh Hubbard as Mississippi State overcame the Tigers 70-60.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Tigers came out rusty in the shooting department, going just 1-5 from the field with three early turnovers. Mississippi State didn’t shoot much better at 33% but held a 6-3 lead at the first media timeout with 15:26 remaining in the first half.
With 11:52 remaining, LSU trailed the Bulldogs 13-8 with Mississippi State making 5 of their last 6 shots. Josh Hubbard led all scorers with five points early on.
LSU went on a 13-4 run over the next seven minutes to have a 21-17 lead with 5:41 remaining in the first half in Nashville. Tyrell Ward led the Tigers with six points and held the Bulldogs scoreless for over two minutes.
The scoring woes continued for Mississippi State as with 3:40 left in the first half, it had been four minutes since the Bulldogs scored a point. LSU benefitted from that plus eight points off of turnovers to have a 23-17 lead at the final media timeout of the first half.
At the half, LSU led 29-22 over the Bulldogs behind seven points from Hunter Dean. LSU’s defense was solid, only allowing 5 points from the Bulldogs over the final 7 minutes of the game, and all five coming at the free throw line. Mississippi State didn’t make a field goal for the final 7:42 of the first half.
Mississippi State came alive early in the second half to take a 38-36 lead with 11:40 remaining in the second half. LSU was outscored 16-7 to open the second half and Josh Hubbard led the way with 16 points.
The Bulldogs continued their strong second half, keeping LSU without a field goal for 4:31 to take a 52-43 lead with 7:52 remaining in the game. Hubbard continued to lead all scorers with 16 points.
LSU then went on a 9-1 run to cut the lead to a point with 5 minutes remaining, but five points from Hubbard put the Bulldogs back up six with nearly four minutes remaining. At the final media timeout with 3:38, MSU led 58-54 and LSU was coming back with the basketball. Trae Hannibal led the Tigers with 16 points.
LSU couldn’t get the offense going again after that five-point swing and the Bulldogs took full advantage, taking down LSU 68-58 and advancing to the quarterfinals to play top-ranked Tennessee.
BIG NUMBER: +17
After taking a seven-point lead into halftime, LSU was outscored 48-31 in the second half as they fell to Mississippi State 70-60 in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Josh Hubbard
The freshman was unreal on Thursday, dropping 24 points on 6-16 shooting to advance Mississippi State to the quarterfinals and a spot with top-ranked Tennessee.