The LSU men’s basketball team came up just shy of upsetting Kentucky for the second time in one season after Saturday’s 77-76 overtime loss on the road.
LSU led for the majority of the extra period, but Kentucky freshman forward Julius Randle sank a jumper with three seconds remaining to secure the victory for the No. 18 Wildcats.
“I thought for 45 minutes, our guys gave an excellent job of giving a great effort,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones during his post-game radio show. “We talk about playing from tip to finish and we did that tonight. … (Kentucky) had to make good plays down the stretch to get the game into overtime, and even in the overtime, I thought our guys played extremely well.”
The game ended with LSU senior guard Andre Stringer losing control of the ball just before the buzzer.
Stringer finished the game with 10 points, but missed a key free throw down the stretch that could’ve put the game out of Kentucky reach in regulation.
LSU juniors Johnny O’Bryant III and Anthony Hickey led the Tigers with a team-high 20 points. O’Bryant scored his seventh double-double of the season in the game after pulling down 12 rebounds while Hickey grabbed another five boards.
Hickey fouled out of his return to his home state, but not before he knocked down a crucial 3-pointer with just less than two minutes left in regulation. Hickey finished the night shooting 4-9 from behind the arc.
“(Hickey) made big play after big play,” Jones said. “Playing here at home, he certainly did what he’s done all year long. He played aggressive and I thought he played with energy.”
Hickey wasn’t the only LSU player to spend the night in foul trouble. The Tigers finished with four players in risk of ejection, including O’Bryant, Stringer and senior forward Shavon Coleman.
Jones was forced to leave players like Hickey and O’Bryant in the game despite the risk of foul trouble due to a shortened bench brought on by freshman guard Tim Quarterman not traveling with the team to Lexington, Kent.
Quarterman was unable to go to the game after the death of a family friend resulted in the Georgia native returning home for the funeral.
The loss is the sixth-consecutive defeat on the road for the Tigers, who have failed to win outside of the PMAC since Jan. 11.
LSU will return to Baton Rouge on Wednesday for a rematch against Texas A&M after the Aggies took down the Tigers in College Station, Texas two weeks ago.