It wasn’t pretty, but the LSU Tigers finished out a three-game homestand on Tuesday night with a 67-66 win over the Georgia Bulldogs. The last three victories for LSU have been decided by one point.
Will Baker made two free throws with 15 seconds left to give LSU a one-point advantage. The Bulldogs had one more shot, but LSU defensively kept the Bulldogs from scoring. Jalen Reed’s block shot with two seconds left sealed the victory.
LSU led 40-27 at halftime, but Coach Matt McMahon was concerned about the turnovers. The Tigers turned it over 11 times in the first 20 minutes and in the second half, LSU turned it over five more times and only shot 35% from the field.
That allowed the Bulldogs to come from behind and take the lead with about two minutes left.
While the field goals were not going down for LSU, they hit their free throws, 9-of-13 from the line.
Jordan Wright was 10-of-11 from the line for the night and led LSU with 17 points. Baker had 12 points. The only two points he scored in the second half were at the free throw line with 15 seconds left.
Tyrell Ward started after injuring his hip on Saturday and scored eight points. Jalen Cook missed his fourth straight game with a leg injury. Trae Hannibal played 38 minutes and had six points, eight assists and just two turnovers.
In the loss to Mississippi State, Hannibal had seven turnovers and two assists. Coach Matt McMahon credits Hannibal’s preparation for having an outstanding game.
The Tigers are 15-13 overall, 7-8 in the SEC. They have three regular season games left and they’ll visit Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon at 2:30.
It’s a good chance for LSU to get to the .500 mark in the SEC as the Commodores are just 3-12. But Vandy won Wednesday night, beating Arkansas in Fayetteville 85-82.
