There was no big comeback for the LSU men’s basketball team on Saturday night. The Tigers, who rallied from double-digit deficits to beat South Carolina and Kentucky, trailed Mississippi State by seven points at halftime and lost to the Bulldogs 87-67. LSU senior guard Jordan Wright says it’s hard to keep coming back from large deficits.
“Honestly it’s tough to do, you get down double digits every single game, you want to come back, you want to make a run, we can’t keep digging ourself a hole, it sounds good when you win when you get down 15, it’s not the we want to play, it’s not something we want to be known for,” said Wright.
Second-chance points were a big stat in this game. Mississippi State had 16 offensive rebounds and had 27 second-chance points to LSU’s ten.
Coach Matt McMahon’s team also had 15 turnovers.
“All the areas we needed to well, the turnover battle, the glass, and transition, we were unable to accomplish those tonight and Mississippi State had a lot to do with it,” said McMahon.
The Bulldogs also got a big game from Josh Hubbard, who scored a career-high 32 points. The freshman from Madison, Mississippi hit six threes. LSU point guard Trae Hannibal says he didn’t do a good enough job of minimizing Hubbard’s touches early in the game.
“Once you minimize his touches that makes him frustrated, he’s a tough shot maker, you got force to a force like that off the three-point line and make them take tough twos,” said Hanibal.
The loss drops LSU’s record to 6-8 in the SEC. They are now tied in a three-way tie for 8th place.
The final four teams the Tigers play trail them in the SEC standings. So finishing the regular season on a four-game winning streak is a real possibility.
But the Tigers also need to get a couple of players healthy. Jalen Cook has missed the last three games with a leg injury. He’s been day-to-day.
Emerging sophomore forward Tyrell Ward left the Mississippi State game with a leg injury and the extent of his injury unknown.
LSU hosts Georgia on Tuesday.
