Aided by late surge in the first half to take a seven-point lead at the break, the LSU men’s basketball team pushed past an undermanned Florida team, 70-63, on Saturday afternoon in the PMAC.
LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin recorded a career-high in points (28) and grabbed his 11th double-double of the season on 8-of-15 shooting to match 13 rebounds.
After taking a 22-9 lead with 10:59 left in the first half, the Tigers (19-8, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) went on a more than seven-minute scoring drought, allowing the Gators (13-14, 6-8 SEC) to grab a brief lead.
But with the game tied at 26, Martin swiped Florida sophomore guard Kasey Hill and threw down a between-the-legs slam in transition to give the Tigers the lead for good. The Tigers went on 15-2 run from the 1:57 mark in the first half into the first three minutes of the second half.
The Gators were without their two leading-scorers, junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith and junior guard Michael Frazier II, finishing the game only 35.3 percent from the field.
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LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin (1) dunks the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey (25) jump shoots the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU freshman guard Jalyn Patterson (15) passes the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey (25) shoots the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU junior guard Josh Gray (5) brings the ball down the court on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU junior guard Keith Hornsby (4) shouts to his teammates on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU junior guard Keith Hornsby (4) moves the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey (25) dunks the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin (1) goes to dunk the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin (1) scores a point on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU sophomore guard Tim Quarterman (55) and sophomore forward Jarell Martin (1) celebrate after a play made on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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Fans cheer on the men’s basketball team on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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A trio performs a Russian barre routine during half-time on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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A trio performs a Russian barre routine during half-time on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU junior guard Josh Gray (5) jump shoots the ball on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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LSU junior guard Josh Gray (5) passes the ball to sophomore forward Jarell Martin (1) on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 during the Tigers’ 70-63 victory against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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