With 14 seconds to go in regulation, LSU freshman guard Jalyn Patterson approached the free throw line for a one-and-one opportunity with the Tigers leading Georgia, 67-65, on Jan. 10.
Although he already had a career-high 12 points, Patterson already had missed the second of two free throws on the previous LSU possession that would have made it a three-point game.
The Alpharetta, Georgia native missed again, allowing the Bulldogs to tie the game with a second remaining and send it into overtime.
Sophomore guard Tim Quarterman wouldn’t let Patterson become the goat in what would have been a second straight conference loss. Quarterman scored nine of his 27 points in the first overtime period, erasing a nine-point Georgia lead to force a second overtime.
Patterson, building off Quarterman’s leadership, drained three critical free throws in the second overtime to make the difference in an 87-84 win for LSU.
“[Quarterman] saved us,” Patterson said after the game. “When I missed the free throw, he [said] ‘I got you little brother.’ So, he saved us. He came up big. It was huge for us being from Georgia.”
Not only do Patterson and Quarterman, a Savannah, Georgia, native, share home-state ties and a friendship off the court, but Quarterman also has served as a mentor to Patterson. It has paid off, and the duo has become the go-to players off the bench for the Tigers.
After averaging only 2.5 points per game in sporadic minutes last season, Quarterman, the Tigers’ regular sixth man, has been a sparkplug for LSU throughout this season with 11.9 points per game. Known mostly as a perimeter defender last season, the sophomore has matched his defense with an improved shooting stroke, going 44.3
percent from the field.
Even with improved numbers, coming off the bench is something Quarterman is willing and able to do.
“[I’ll play] any role coach wants me to play,” Quarterman said. “I’m just trying to take advantage of the opportunity. Anything that helps my team win, I’ll do it. If it’s a night I have to start, I’ll start. If it’s a night I have to come off the bench, I’ll come off the bench. It’s not about who starts. It’s about who finishes.”

But initial success didn’t come easy for Patterson, who battled injury early in the season while adjusting to the physicality of college basketball. He averaged only 2.2 points through the first nine games, but an ankle injury to sophomore point guard Josh Gray against Sam Houston State on Dec. 13 opened the door for Patterson.
Encouragement from teammates, such as Quarterman, gave Patterson the confidence he needed to be more aggressive when the opportunity arose.
“It really started in practice,” Patterson said. “They [said], ‘Step up. Make these shots and take these shots.’ They just had confidence in me, and it was big seeing that come from them. So, it kind of helped me out.”
Patterson has responded to his 11-minute bump in playing time per game, averaging 8.4 points and almost two steals per game since the Dec. 18 matchup against UAB. For a team that averages 16 turnovers per game, his biggest contribution may be not turning the ball over once in the past five games.
Although Quarterman is more of a vocal leader on the floor, LSU coach Johnny Jones sees the similarities between Quarterman and the laid-back Patterson. Jones in the past also compared Patterson to former Tiger
sharpshooter Andre Stringer.
“Sometimes you look at [Patterson] out there on the floor, and it doesn’t seem as though he is as engaged as he should be,” Jones said. “When the ball is in play, he is actually into it. He’s a lot like Tim last year. Defensively, he brings the same type of energy and mentality. What is different is his ability to shoot the ball like he has as a freshman is really big for us.”

The sibling-like relationship between the sophomore and freshman off the court has led to tangible results on the floor for the young LSU team with NCAA Tournament aspirations.
“[It’s] definitely a little brother-big brother relationship just because I’m with [Patterson] everyday on and off the court,” Quarterman said. “I’m there for him on and off the court. We just go about every situation together. I just stay on top of him and just make sure he’s doing what I do.”
You can reach James Bewers on Twitter @JamesBewers_TDR.