Down two points with just 17.5 seconds left, LSU was desperately trying to avoid a home loss against Texas Tech on Tuesday night.
“I was like, ‘We have to make a play right now,’” junior Keith Hornsby said.
Sophomore guard Tim Quarterman came off the bench and did just that.
“They inbounded to their point guard and I saw Josh [Gray] apply a lot of pressure,” Quarterman said. “So I jabbed at the inbounds man and he faked the pass. Then I shot the lane and he threw it, and I stole it and lay the ball up.”
It was just what the Tigers needed to force overtime. And on a cold shooting night, all of a sudden LSU heated up.
“After he got that steal and that basket, I felt like we definitely had the job sealed,” sophomore Jarell Martin said.
“A guy like him with the knack of defensive tenacity; he was hyped, I was hyped and the whole place was,” Hornsby said. “Just a great play.”
Coming into this season, all eyes were on Keith Hornsby, Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey. But against Texas Tech we were reminded not to sleep on the lengthy guard from Savannah, Georgia.
“Tim Quarterman’s a big-time player for us,” Martin said. “He’s a high-energy guy, got a high motor.”
“If you saw him in practice, you wouldn’t be surprised by his play,” Hornsby said.
“I thought he was really a difference maker down on the defensive end of the floor which our other guys were able to feed off of in the second half as well,” LSU head coach Johnny Jones said. “I tell you, he’s really maximized the minutes that he’s been given the early part of the season.”
Quarterman’s energy is contagious. Although he didn’t start on Tuesday, he certainly helped the Tigers finish.
“It just shows that coach [Jones] has a lot of trust in me and I have a lot of trust in myself,” Quarterman said.