The LSU men’s basketball team could not manage to stage another miraculous comeback as it opened its Southeastern Conference schedule with a 68-63 loss at Auburn on Wednesday night.
Auburn junior forward Allen Payne propelled his team out of the gates, scoring the first seven points of the contest. But LSU (9-3, 0-1) clawed back into the game to hold a 28-27 lead at halftime and would eventually gain a six-point advantage four minutes into the second period.
“[Auburn] got off to a great start, made some shots,” coach Johnny Jones said. “We played from behind there at the beginning. I thought we did a great job of fighting back, getting up [by] one there at half.”
Sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III, who chipped in with six points and seven rebounds for LSU, sat for a huge chunk of the second half as he quickly picked up his third and fourth fouls. Auburn (7-7, 1-0) responded with a 15-4 run spearheaded by freshman forward Shaq Johnson, who finished with 11 points.
Senior guard Charles Carmouche paced LSU with 15 points as the starting backcourt contributed 41 of LSU’s 63 points. Jones asserted his players put up too many shots and failed to get the post game going.
“Offensively, we settled jumping up,” Jones said. “[We] took too many 3’s tonight, settling instead of getting in gaps, forcing them to have to guard us. …I don’t think we gave ourselves a great balanced attack.”
LSU returns to action on Saturday when No. 11 Florida visits the PMAC at 3 p.m.
Auburn center Rob Chubb (41) is guarded by LSU forward Shavon Coleman (5) and center Andrew Del Piero (55) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
