At the 4:16 mark in the first half, LSU experienced its largest deficit of the season, going down by 39-19 after a pair of Daivien Williamson free throws.
Not much had gone right on either side of the ball up until that point, with the Demon Deacons putting up alley-oops and great shooting percentages with ease and the Tigers struggling to keep up.
But when they entered halftime, they had cut the lead to single digits. A 14-2 run polished off by a last-second putback layup from Cam Hayes had the Tigers heading into the break with newfound momentum. The transfer out of North Carolina State contributed to nine of the team’s 14 points (five points, two assists) on the run, kickstarting the comeback to come.
If Hayes kickstarted it, KJ Williams was the one who kept them moving in the right direction. He set the tone for the rest of the game on the team’s first offensive possession of the second half, drilling a three from the top of the key to increase his point total to 15. He would more than double that output by the end of the game.
From that point on the court, the forward could not miss, making three in a row to place LSU in prime position for its first tie since the 15:35 mark in the first half. And after assisting on Williams’ back-to-back-to-back three-pointers, Cam Hayes secured the tie with a three of his own, which capped off another big run for the Tigers.
Despite the run, Wake Forest would prevent them from making more headway, as the game went back-and-forth until the final moments of the game. Deadlocked at 70 and coming out of a timeout, point guard Justice Hill blew by his man with a spin move before dodging another on his way to the goal, laying it up and making it to put LSU up by 72-70 with two seconds remaining and secure the victory.
KJ Williams finished the game with a season-high 35 points, 10 rebounds and a staggering 78% shooting percentage from three. Cam Hayes also posted season-highs, attributing 13 points, five rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes of game time.
In a game that looked awful at the beginning, Head Coach Matt McMahon ultimately earned his most impressive victory of his LSU career so far. His team now sits at 8-1 and could head into conference play with 11 wins.
LSU faces off against North Carolina Central on Tuesday. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be streaming live on SEC Network.
