After a dismal showing in front of a hometown crowd of an estimated 20 family and friends, LSU junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III spent a sleepless Wednesday night rueing his performance.
Reeling from a 1-for-5 performance from the field in an overtime loss at Ole Miss hours earlier, O’Bryant talked to the family and friends who were in attendance and got back in the film room Thursday, again watching his misfortune.
After the film study and talks, O’Bryant only knew one thing.
“I was due for one,” O’Bryant said. “I didn’t know when it was going to come, but I was due for one.”
It came Saturday as the Cleveland, Miss. native bullied his way to 22 points and 12 rebounds against an undermanned and undersized Vanderbilt frontline, spearheading an 81-58 win for the Tigers in the PMAC.
O’Bryant led a Tiger assault on the glass, as LSU (11-5, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) out-rebounded the Commodores 48-24, including a 21-11 advantage on the offensive boards.
“I just wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” O’Bryant said. “Coach had been on me, my team had been on me. I just had to step up and produce.”
LSU coach Johnny Jones said he was skeptical after watching O’Bryant’s morning practice that he said “wasn’t great.”
Unsure if the days following the loss to the Rebels had any effect on the forward, Jones got his answer minutes before tipoff.
“Right before the game I had a little visit with him,” Jones said. “He said he was ready and really focused. He said he was locked in. I thought he went out and did it from the start.”
O’Bryant was one of four Tigers in double figures and recorded his first double-double since a Nov. 28 victory against St. Joseph’s in the Old Spice Classic.
Freshman forward Jordan Mickey shook off an ineffective first half to chip in 10 second half points, finishing with 13 for the night to go along with five rebounds.
Fellow freshman guard Tim Quarterman saw 21 minutes — his most since logging 22 in a Dec. 21 victory against UAB — finishing with seven points, eight rebounds and two assists. He also limited Commodore guard Kyle Fuller to 1-for-9 shooting and forced him into five turnovers.
“I just waited my turn,” Quarterman said. “When the ball went up, I boxed out, got to the glass, helped my team rebound and started the break.”
Quarterman and the rest of the Tiger guards showed marked improvement against the Vanderbilt zone defense as crisp ball movement and high-low passing contributed to a 48 percent shooting night.
“We were able to put a little bit of a new wrinkle in the last couple of days of practice,” Jones said. “I can tell you that our zone offense looks a lot better when those outside shots are going down and we’re making plays.”
After O’Bryant buried two free throws to tie the game at 11 in the first half, LSU reeled off an 8-0 run keyed by a Quarterman 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 19-11.
Fuller’s 3-pointer with 1:34 to go in the first half pulled the Commodores to within six at 31-25, but the Tigers used physical play inside and out to make all of its next four free throws and shut Vanderbilt out defensively, leading to a 35-25 halftime advantage.
From there, the Commodores (9-7, 1-3 SEC) never got closer than nine as a 14-3 run midway through the second half — capped off by a corner 3-pointer from LSU sophomore guard Malik Morgan — swelled the Tiger lead to 67-45.
O’Bryant claimed Jones kept his usual demeanor in the practices leading up to Saturday’s win, but the coach did give O’Bryant insight that extended far beyond Saturday.
“He told me ‘We need you tonight we really need you,'” O’Bryant said. “If this team’s going to make it anywhere we’ll need you.”
“I got the message.”

Gallery • 13 Photos

Angela Major

LSU freshman forward Jordan Mickey (25) is blocked by several Vanderbilt defenders Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014 during the Tigers' 81-58 victory against the Commodores in the PMAC.