LSU opened its Wednesday matchup against Vanderbilt like it had for most of its SEC contests, with a slow start leading to a few-possession deficit early.
In front of a crowd that wasn’t anticipating much, it seemed to be doing exactly what it was expecting them to do.
But with the Tigers on the path to appearing on the wrong side of their program’s history, one loss away from tying their worst losing streak ever, something changed. Though they had glimmers of hope throughout late January and early February, they actually started to consistently outplay their opponents for once.
After achieving its first lead of the game midway through the first half, LSU held onto it until the 12:42 mark of the second period and even earned its first double-digit lead since non-conference play amidst a 13-0 run.
Even when its cushion disappeared thanks to a 6-0 run and continued resilience from the Commodores to kick off the second half, Vanderbilt was only able to hold a lead before LSU responded and never looked back.
“I thought Vandy obviously punched us in the face there,” LSU head coach Matt McMahon said on Vanderbilt’s runs in the second half. “Three straight drives to get it down to one, they went on another run in the second half.”
“And the guys responded both times.”
KJ Williams, who entered the break leading the team in scoring with 12 points, caught fire when the team needed him most, putting on a second-half performance reminiscent of his one against Wake Forest back in December. He scored 23 points on 64% shooting in the period, matching his season high in points with 35.
“I feel like KJ [Williams], when you talk about fours and fives that can shoot the ball, he’s like one of the best out there,” LSU guard Adam Miller said. “Liam [Robbins] hit like two or three and then KJ hit two and I was like ‘Oh yeah, KJ’s going to win this matchup.”
No shot was more crucial than the last. Up four with just over a minute to go, the Tigers took the shot clock down to its last few seconds before Justice Hill found Williams for an open three, which he drained. That propelled the Tigers to a three-possession and with how much time remained, it proved insurmountable.
“No matter what I had to shoot it,” Williams said. “I already had the hot hand and once I shot, I already knew it was good. It’s just instinct for me, and for my teammates to get me open.”
With LSU’s win on Wednesday, it concluded a 56-day period where it failed to obtain a win, a 14-game span many want to forget. It escaped the infamy of appearing in the record books for one of the worst stat lines possible and potentially gained some momentum heading into the last three regular-season games and more importantly, heading into next season.
It travels to Oxford for its next matchup, facing off against a 10-17 Ole Miss team with a great chance to pick up back-to-back victories.
