The LSU men’s basketball team looked to get redemption after losing at home to the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Wednesday, 80-66. Saturday’s opponent was the South Carolina Gamecocks on their home floor. It took overtime for LSU to get it done, winning on Saturday 92-87, improving their record to 14-8 and 2-7 in SEC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU’s offense found success early, going up 8-2 92 seconds into the game. Rashad King knocked down a three-pointer on the opening possession before Mike Nwoko had a put-back dunk on a Marquel Sutton miss, and then Sutton scored with a running floater. The lone bucket by South Carolina was a Myles Stute dunk on the team’s first possession.
After a scoreless two minutes that featured five missed shots, two missed free throws, and two turnovers by the Tigers. Kobe Knox was credited with ending the scoring drought as Nwoko was called for a goaltend, but it was the Tigers who went on an 11-3 run. The first four buckets for the Purple and Gold were in the paint, with King finding Nwoko and Sutton for a layup and dunk. Max Mackinnon recorded a couple of assists himself, getting the ball to Robert Miller III twice in the paint for open shots, and PJ Carter came out of a timeout, hitting a wing three to put the Tigers ahead 21-11 with 11:55 left in the first half.
South Carolina, through much of the first half, struggled knock down shots consistently. After the first 11 minutes of action, all five of the Gamecocks’ shots were less than 10 feet from the basket, and the team was shooting 50% from the charity stripe.
That all changed over the final eight and a half minutes of the first half. LSU took a 13-point lead with an and-one layup and dunk by Sutton, but South Carolina began to find its rhythm after an extended timeout. The Gamecocks went on a 10-0 run as EJ Walker began with a layup before Kobe Knox hit a three-pointer, the team’s first jumpshot from beyond eight feet. A couple of minutes later, Mike Sharavjamts scored on back-to-back possessions, shooting from downtown and then recovering a loose ball for a two-hand slam.
The Tigers put up a quick five points to extend their lead to eight late in the half. That didn’t stop South Carolina from going on another run before the break. In the final two minutes, the Gamecocks went on a 10-3 run with Meechie Johnson and Eli Ellis hitting back-to-back threes. Sharavjampts had a tip-in layup, and Johnson made a floater ahead of the buzzer. That bucket cut LSU’s lead down to just one, making it 36-35 at the break.
Coming out of the locker room, LSU put another four points to rebuild its lead as Pablo Tamba threw an alley-oop to Nwoko and Sutton made a pair of free throws. That was before South Carolina caught fire again. Elijah Strong had the first Gamecock basket of the second half, and it helped them heat up as Johnson made four free throws, and Myles Stute hit a three-ball.
The Gamecocks’ long-range shooting continued to be a strength. Johnson and Eli Ellis made three more threes, and a couple of other shots gave South Carolina its first game of the game. A couple of Mackinnon buckets for LSU, including a shot from the top of the key, helped them reclaim the lead 60-59 with 11:25 left in the second half.
Nwoko attacked the rim once again, and Carter hit another three to have a four-point advantage. South Carolina then went on a 9-0 run as Knox scored twice and Ellis got the ball to Grant Polk in transition for a layup, giving the Gamecocks a five-point lead.
The officials needed to review a foul call and decided to give technical fouls to King and Ellis. Both players were given two shots alone, with King making both of his for LSU, and Ellis made just the second, tying the game at 74 with 3:50 to go.
In the final two minutes, Johnson got the rock to Strong for an 11-foot hook shot and took a two-point lead, but Mackinnon fed Nwoko in the paint for another layup. Ellis missed from the left corner, giving LSU a chance to take the lead late. Neither team’s last-second prayers were answered, and the game headed to overtime.
In the extra five-minute period, LSU’s main source of offense was its free-throw shooting, making eight of them before Mackinnon knocked down a corner three with less than 21 seconds remaining. Sutton caught a Hail Mary inbound pass and threw down the exclamation point dunk to give LSU the 92-87 overtime win over South Carolina.
BIG NUMBER: 1
In close games, LSU couldn’t win any close games, going 0-3 in games decided by five or fewer points. That changed for the Tigers on Saturday, and it was also the team’s first SEC road win of the season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rashad King
King put up a season-high 18 points on Saturday, going 4/8 from the floor and 7/8 from the free throw line. The senior guard also recorded seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal in LSU’s 92-87 overtime win to put its record at 14-8 and 2-7 in the conference.
UP NEXT: The LSU Tiger men’s basketball team will return home to face the Georgia Bulldogs. Tipoff from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center is scheduled for 5:00 PM on Saturday, February 7th, and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette & 104.1 Lake Charles.