Sophomore forward Jordan Mickey buoyed a lackluster LSU offense in the first half, then got the support of some teammates in the second half as the Tigers held on for a fourth straight win, 76-67, against a pesky Sam Houston State team in the PMAC on Saturday.
What was once a ten-point LSU lead was whittled to two in the closing minutes behind a steady Bearkat attack that sunk ten 3-pointers and out-rebounded the Tigers 50-42.
But with 4:05 left, Tiger sophomore Jarell Martin canned a wide open 3-pointer from the wing to give LSU some cushion at 64-58.
Though he missed two free throws on the Tigers’ next possession, Martin atoned, tipping in Mickey’s miss with 1:56 remaining to stretch the LSU lead back to six. Sophomore guard Tim Quarterman added an old-fashioned 3-point play on the next possession to give LSU a more comfortable seven-point lead.
Mickey had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, shouldering the otherwise lethargic Tiger offense that hadn’t seen the floor since Dec. 4 due to final exams.
Trailing by as many as eight in the first half, the Tigers used a 15-5 run to create some separation headed into the locker room, spearheaded by the 6-foot-8 preseason All-Southeastern Conference selection.
After sophomore guard Tim Quarterman gave a nice head fake and scored on a baseline drive, Mickey collected a feed in transition, going coast-to-coast off a steal for a one-handed slam dunk in traffic, putting the Tigers up 34-29.