BATON ROUGE – The LSU men’s basketball team posted two eight-point runs in the second half to defeat a stubborn South Carolina team, 85-80, Saturday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Tigers are now winners of four consecutive games, including the first two games of this three-game house, to move to 10-2 and 5-1 in the Southeast Conference. South Carolina, playing for the first time since January 6, drops to 3-3 and 1-1 in the league.
LSU now plays first place in Alabama on Tuesday night at 8 pm on ESPN2 here at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The game will also be broadcast on LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates.
South Carolina managed to get LSU off the beat in the first half, hitting 15 of 33 shots in the first half to 45 percent with five points from three. Gamecocks had an advantage of 11 points in the first half and four in the break, 38-34.
In the second half, LSU stayed behind for nine minutes in two minutes and lost 57-50 with 13:54 to play. But Javonte Smart hit two three points and Watford had a bucket of paint between the three to give LSU a 58-50 lead with 12h09 to go.
But South Carolina would not go away and built a 72-64 lead with 7:47 to the end. But LSU reacted, overcoming the Gamecocks, 10-1, to take a 74-73 lead with 4:38 to play. The Tigers started to go to Watford consistently on the crossbar and he was able to score or take a foul and go to the line.
With the game tied in 76, LSU took the lead in another 8-0 series with Watford hitting two free throws (78-76). Cameron Thomas then he added the next six points in a field basket and four free throws to put LSU up, 84-76 with 34 seconds to play.
LSU hit 51.7 percent in the second half (15-29) with six treys and 15 out of 17 on the free-throw line, keeping South Carolina 16 out of 36 overall and only 3 out of 15 out of the arc.
Thomas led LSU with 25 points (7 out of 19 shots, 2 treys, 9 out of 10 free throws), while Trendon Watford posted his third straight game with more than 20 points, with 23 points, seven scholarships and five assists. Javonte Smart had 15 points while Darius Dias had 11 points and a team with nine boards.
Keyshawn Bryant led South Carolina with 26 points, while AJ Lawson had 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Both Justin Minaya and Wildens Leveque each had 12 points. Minaya doubled with 10 plates.
LSU hit 45.8 percent for the game (27-59) with 7 treys and 24 of 32 on the line. South Carolina finished 44.9 (31-69) with eight treys and 10 of 14 in the belt.
Each of the teams had 17 points for a second chance, but South Carolina had a 10 point advantage in quick break points. Gamecocks had 8 dunks, three to go, while LSU had 4 of 4 in attempts to bury.
It was the second consecutive game that LSU had a half of 50 points and the tenth time in the Will Wade was that LSU came together to win from behind by entering the last five minutes.
LSU vs South Carolina
January 16, 2021
LSU head coach Will Wade– Post-game quotes
Opening statement …
“We found a way. South Carolina played very well. We had no answer to (AJ) Lawson in the first half. I did a better job in the second half. I was proud of our guys. Javonte (Smart) responded well. It came out great for us. in the second half. He played through Trendon (Watford). Cam had great free throws and some excellent submissions in the final stretch. I thought (Josh) LeBlanc gave us tremendous energy tonight too. Good team effort. It’s hard to win in the SEC. I give a lot of credit to Bruce (Shingler) and coach (Frank) Martin, his team and his team. They were in the game from the start and ready to start. They played tremendously all night long. We were lucky to make some shots in the second half and make some things happen. “
About what you saw in your defense in the last eight minutes …
“We just have to be more consistent. We talked about these six-minute games. We did a great job in the six-minute game. One of our biggest defensive problems was that we turned the ball around a lot. We gave them nine points in the first half out of choice. We gave them one more against the zone there in the second half. If we can go back and put our defense in place. We had to make some adjustments in the two-two-one. We were losing (AJ) Lawson back in the one-three-one. . Our guys really worked hard. It helps when we have (Josh) LeBlanc out there. He can really set the tone there for the defense and he really did a good job at that. “
In Trendon (Watford) in the last minutes …
“Trendon did a great job all night. They were collapsing on him. He did a good job on finishing. He did a great job on the free throw line. Nine out of ten on the free throw line. He was really good. You have to play with your hot hand. So Cam (Thomas) was able to make moves stretch the ball screens with Trendon too. It was a team effort. We managed to play with Trendon in the post. That’s where there were incompatibilities. That’s where that we managed to make things happen. “
Guard Javonte Smart
In the last eight-minute stretch on the defensive end …
“We talked about defense. We know we can score the ball. They were getting some buckets; some looks from the back door. We just wanted to stop when we were losing five. We just wanted to go back to the lead and cut the game and then play defense. “
In Trendon Watford’s basic performance …
“They were playing one on one on the pole. As soon as we found that out, we kept going towards it. Cam (Thomas) stepped up again in the second half, as he did in the first half. We wanted to feed Watford, because nobody can protect him.”
Guard Cameron Thomas
In the physical game …
“It’s a physical game, it didn’t really affect me. We knew it would be physical when we arrived. So, we were already prepared. It was kind of expected, so we were fine with that.”
How important was the free-throw line on the straight …
“For sure, we knew we would get in. They would be very physical. It would turn into many fouls, a free-throw contest. Place our free throws and close the game. We already knew that when we entered. “
front Trendon Watford
In your game in the final stretch …
“That’s why I work, I get up every morning to train with coaches at ten in the morning. I try to be built for that. I am proud of that, of wanting the ball in my hands, when the game is at stake to make plays. I think I did a good job at that, making free throws and baskets. Just trying to help my team win. I will keep improving, keep doing what I do. “
About the draw of fouls and the physical game late …
“Coach Wade, he told us that we were going to do a lot of free throws in this game. We did. I’ve been working on my free throws all summer, out of season. Every time I get to the line it’s like I’m in the gym alone. to focus on that. We are an excellent free-throw team and we will improve on that. “
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South Carolina assistant coach Bruce Shingler – Post-match quotes
Opening statement …
“I thought we had made a big effort. I thought they lost their way, given the circumstances of the past two weeks. Given the circumstances of Our General (Frank Martin), Chuck Martin and Doug Edwards not being here with us, as well as Jaylen (McCreary) and Alanzo (Frink), but I thought our effort was there. I thought our guys had taken a risk. We fell a little short, but I saw many positive aspects of that game and I think we have a lot to build on. “