After narrowly escaping Wofford on Sunday, the Tigers entered Friday’s matchup against UT Arlington as 19-point favorites. It’s safe to say the game was a lot closer than that.  

Though LSU started on a decent pace offensively, scoring 13 points with just over five minutes running off the clock, it quickly stagnated. It ultimately finished the first half scoring less than 30 points on 39.3% shooting from the field, but it at least managed to outpace the Mavericks in rebounding, keep the turnovers to a minimum and control the game defensively. 

The second half wasn’t the same case.  

UT Arlington came out after halftime controlling the boards and forcing turnovers, as the small lead LSU had managed to build in the first half started to dissipate. A 17-4 run from the Mavericks temporarily gave them the lead at 52-48 with just under seven minutes to go in the game. But the Tigers immediately responded with a 14-2 run of their own to finally put the game away.  

A big reason they ultimately held firm in the second half was the bench, as Derek Fountain, Cam Hayes and Trae Hannibal combined for 21 points in the period. KJ Williams also continued his consistent start to the season, putting up 14 points, eight of which came in the second half, nine rebounds and two steals.  

“Obviously, we don’t want to be in that position in a game like this,” LSU head coach Matt McMahon said, referring to the point where it trailed in the second half. “But credit to our players, they found a way to win. Now we have a great opportunity next week to build our team and work on getting better and growing together as a team.” 

LSU still has work to do if it wants to have success in conference play. It will face a more difficult challenge when it returns to action a week for now, as it faces against Wake Forest next Saturday.