LSU’s comeback bid falls short against Texas Tech

BATON ROUGE, The. – LSU could not match the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the key play in the final 8:59 Saturday SEC / Big 12 Challenge game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and dropped a 76-68 decision.

LSU fell to 12-9 with the loss, while Texas Tech moved to 11-10.

Offensively, the Tigers were able to get their offense going in a more productive way at times in the contest, but could not stop the ability of Texas Tech from distance because they hit 11-of-18 from the arc (61.1%) and 25- of-54 overall for games (46.3 percent). The Tigers shot more than 40 percent in the first half (12 of 28 with 6 of 13 from long range), but managed just 10 of 31 (32.3%) in the second half.

LSU finished at 37.3 percent (22-of-59) and hit 9-of-26 three-pointers (34.6%).

The Tigers, down eight at intermission, 41-33, were able to get back in the game, taking the game back to two on several occasions before Adam Miller’s three put LSU up, 46-45, with 13:30 left. Kerwin Walton then hit two consecutive three-point baskets from deep to give the Red Raiders a 51-46 advantage some two minutes later.

But LSU went on a 10-0 run to take a five-point, 56-51 lead with 8:59 to play.

Juice Hill, who returned to the Tigers after a week away for personal reasons, hit a corner three to cut the Red Raider lead to just two, 51-49, and after a shot clock violation, Derek Fountain drove the lane and scored to tie it. game at 51-51.

Texas Tech came back and Cam Hayes hit a layup to give LSU a 53-51 advantage. TTU missed a three and KJ Williams hit a triple to finish the run and go up five.

But Texas Tech would score the next six points to take a one-point, 57-56, advantage as Kevin Obanor scored on two second-chance buckets and a runout layup.

Derek Fountain made two free throws to give LSU a 58-57 lead with 7:33 to play, but LSU went cold, missing 10 straight shots and taking just six free throws in the next seven minutes as Texas Tech closed out the game on a 19-10 run for the margin. last.

Miller was able to shoot during the game, hitting 5-of-10 three-pointers and 6-of-12 shots to finish the game with 20 points for the Tigers while KJ Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds and Derek. Fountain had 10 points.

Obanor had 22 points to lead Texas Tech, while Walton hit 5-of-6 three-pointers to finish with 17 and De’Vion Harmon had 14 points and eight assists. Texas Tech out rebounded LSU, 36-34, but the Tigers had a 17-15 advantage on the offensive boards, leading to 20 second chance points in a game that featured four ties and 12 lead changes.

The Tigers reach the middle of league play on Wednesday night when they play a tilt last Wednesday on the SEC Network at 8 pm at Missouri. LSU returns home next Saturday for a 3 pm game with nationally-ranked Alabama. –

POST-GAME QUOTES

LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon

Opening statement…

“Credit to Texas Tech in winning today. Disappointing loss for our team. I thought there were definitely some areas that were a lot of good for our program today. We came out in the second half and were able to get the lead, up by five with nine minutes to go.” play. We were held for 10 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half. We did a good job from the execution point of view. But then, just some attention to detail, had some breakdowns. got into some foul trouble and then we weren’t able to get stops down the stretch and we weren’t able to knock down shots. Credit to Texas Tech on the win.

In LSU’s struggle after KJ Williams’ picked up a fourth-down foul…

“We really struggled to score from that point forward. When he (KJ Williams) came out, and he didn’t have a more efficient day from two points, but I thought the flow of the offense was better when he was on the floor. Again, you go back to free-throw box out. They turned that into an and-one and then they (Texas Tech) hit two threes, and obviously we tried to get Adam Miller as many looks as we could. I thought it was good to see him shoot the ball well from three today. They (Texas Tech) did a good job of switching out and they denied him in a lot of catches. Then, when they switched five. man against him, we wanted to space the floor and get him to drive and that led to some playmaking opportunities . At the end of the day, in the second half we were 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from three, and that just wasn’t enough to win.”

LSU guard Adam Miller

In the last eight minutes…

“I don’t think anything we saw, it’s just sometimes difficult to stay, you know, when we shoot ourselves in the foot there. . When people ask for easy buckets. We get some tips through, you know what I’m saying, they come passing with the ball 50/50, so it’s kind of hard to stay with that, at the offensive end. It’s just a little bit difficult to stay with that.”

When playing faster…

“Yes, of course. A big emphasis this week is distance, shooting out in space, of course the last 12 seconds on the shot clock. So, we can have a driving lane, so we can make plays for each other, we can three, open three, we can move the ball … Really just the whole game plan, like coming out in the second half, I told everybody just come out like we came out against Arkansas, even though we were down, just keep pushing, have that offensive mentality. That’s how we came out, and you just have to solve it that way.

In the efficiency and flow of offense…

“Yeah, I think we did pretty well on offense. Like I said, turnovers were a problem tonight. But I thought, like I said, the spacing was better. If somebody helped me, I threw a pass but it wasn’t in the seam . As a shooter, you want the ball in rhythm and seam so you can beat it. So, I know I caught like two or three, it’s offscreen so you don’t want to take it, but then sometimes you feel like you have to take them. Yes , we just tried to make something else out of tonight and it was kind of hard, like I said, with turnovers and missed boxes.”

–

Texas Tech Head Coach Mark Adams

Opening statement…

“This win is significant for many reasons. We needed W and to get it on the road is even better. I thought we played very good basketball for most of the game. I thought we did well in both ends and shared the ball. We have the right individuals- really stepped up. Kevin (Obanor) really stepped up and showed his leadership. He had over 20 points and played his heart out. Our bench played well and of course Kerwin Walton had a good night for us as well. It was encouraging for us to see the kids These young guys play the way they did tonight.”

What does this win mean…

“I’m proud of these guys. Obviously, it’s been a tough January for us. We’ve been in every game except one and haven’t been able to finish. It’s good to see these guys start well. And then finish. They made free throws and turnovers to help us win, so that’s definitely a confidence builder. I’m happy for these guys that they definitely deserve.”