Regarding how well Senior Night could have gone, LSU’s performance Wednesday was practically storybook worthy. At least for one half that is.
Prior to the game, KJ Williams and Parker Edwards were honored as the two seniors on the roster; the two players are on opposite ends of the depth chart.
While Edwards made occasional appearances through the years under Will Wade, he has seen the court just once with Matt McMahon at the helm. It had been semi-traditional for Edwards to come in when the game was out of reach late, typically resulting in an uproar from the PMAC crowd; unfortunately, that hadn’t carried over to McMahon’s first season.
Fans were thereby ecstatic when the fan-favorite made the starting lineup against Missouri. Those who were familiar with the way these Edwards situations go were on the edge of their seats, waiting for him to get the ball and make some magic happen.
They weren’t disappointed.
To open the game, Edwards nailed two back-to-back three-pointers, each shot receiving booming ovations from the crowd. Though his night of scoring would end there, the impact those two shots had on the rest of the team would not.
Soon after, KJ Williams would tack on the team’s third three of the game; the Tigers quickly got out to a 13-2 run. A few minutes later, Miller would add a fourth. Missouri may not have known it at the time, but it was in the early stages of an onslaught.
In the first half, LSU converted 15 three-point attempts into 11 makes, shooting an absurd 73% from beyond the arc in the period. Most of those came from KJ Williams and Adam Miller, who finished the period with a combined 29 points and seven three-pointers.
The team built off each other’s momentum and the crowd’s noise, which all began because of Edwards. McMahon considered Edwards’ role in the run to be vital; he described the moment as “special” for the senior.
“[It’s] something he’ll remember forever, to start on your Senior Night, step up and start the game with back-to-back threes,” McMahon said. “I thought it really carried over and gave our entire team a lift.”
LSU’s lead grew as high as 19. The team went on to produce its best scoring output in a half through the entirety of its SEC play, with 47 points. It went into the break only six three-pointers off from tying the school record and appeared to be on pace to shatter it.
But at the game’s conclusion, The Tigers had missed out on tying the record by three shots. The earlier spark had completely vanished by the start of the second period, and Missouri’s was only beginning to ignite.
It didn’t take long for LSU’s lead to vanish; a mixture of missed shots, turnovers and defensive struggles made it easy for Missouri to get back in the game. The turnovers proved to be the biggest factor in the eventual loss; The Tigers committed 10 turnovers in the period, some of which came in crunch time.
“We can’t have that many turnovers in the second half,” KJ Williams stated. “We can’t have those mistakes. You just have to lock in on the most important thing.”
Despite being keyed in on in the second half, Williams managed a strong outing in his last game in the PMAC. He scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 57% from three. Williams was grateful to all the fans that came out, especially considering the team’s struggles this season.
“With this being my first year, it is one of the things I was looking forward to coming to LSU,” Williams said. “I’d like to thank them for their support of us throughout the season. Knowing what the outcome was, they still came out and supported and gave us great energy.”
He’ll get one more opportunity to guide the team to a victory when the team travels to Gainesville Saturday to face Florida in its regular-season finale.
