LSU returned home to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center looking to snap a three-game losing skid against the struggling Arkansas Razorbacks. After a dominant shooting performance where the Tigers shot over 50% in each category, LSU dominated Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in a 95-74 contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a sluggish start where LSU didn’t score for the first two minutes, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to take a 7-2 advantage into the first media timeout at 15:50 left in the first half. Mike Williams led the Tigers with three points while Trae Hannibal and Jalen Reed had a bucket each.
Will Baker started to warm up for the Tigers during the next stretch, knocking down a trio of three-pointers to lead all scorers with 11 points at the 12-minute media timeout as LSU had a 20-9 lead in the contest.
LSU continued to control the game from an offensive standpoint, shooting 78% from the field during the first 12 minutes as the Tigers held a 32-14 lead over the Razorbacks at the under-eight media timeout. Baker led the way with 13 while freshman guard Mike Williams III had 10.
At the end of the first half, LSU led the Razorbacks 45-30 after shooting 62% as a team in the half. Will Baker continued to lead all scorers with 17 points on 7-8 shooting. Tramon Mark led the Razorbacks with seven points.
The second half started much of the same way the first half ended with LSU outscoring Arkansas to continue running away from the Razorbacks. At the first media timeout with 15:44 remaining, the Tigers led 57-34 and Baker was up to 23 points to lead LSU.
With 11:55 remaining in the game, LSU led 69-48 as Arkansas slightly closed the gap. Jalen Cook and Mike Williams both had 13 points to complement the 23 from Baker to continue leading this game by a wide margin.
At the final media timeout of the game with 3:38 remaining, LSU held a 21-point advantage in an 86-65 contest over Arkansas. The Tigers continued to shoot 50+% from the field and the three-point line, with Baker and Cook combining for 45 points.
As the final buzzer sounded, LSU snapped their losing skid with an impressive 95-74 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in a game where the Tigers shot better than 50% from the field, three-point, and the free throw line.
BIG NUMBERS: 55/52/89
LSU shot 55% from the field on the afternoon, 52% from downtown, and 89% from the free throw line as they dominated the Razorbacks at home.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Will Baker & Jalen Cook
Will Baker was outstanding for LSU, scoring 25 points on 9-11 shooting, 4-5 from downtown. The senior transfer from Florida also added a pair of rebounds and one assist.
After not starting the game, Jalen Cook came in off the bench and did what he does best, scoring 20 points on 5-8 shooting, with seven of his points coming at the charity stripe. The Tulane transfer also had three rebounds and three assists.
UP NEXT: LSU is on the road next week as they will head to Knoxville to battle #5 Tennesee. Tip-off from Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 6:00 p.m. Wednesday and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.