Road woes doomed the LSU men’s basketball team one last time this season. Oregon shrugged off a solid start by the Tigers to run away with the teams’ first-round National Invitational Tournament matchup, 96-76, on Tuesday night in Eugene, Ore. The Ducks overwhelmed LSU early and often, forcing errant passes and carving up a lax Tiger defense to post a 28-7 first-half run that sent the Matthew Knight Arena crowd into a frenzy and effectively sealed the game by halftime at 50-33. “We looked like were stuck in mud,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson in a postgame radio interview. Senior guard Devoe Joseph spurred the powerful Oregon offense, scoring 25 points off an array of mid-range jumpers and twisting lay-ins. Despite the Tigers’ 33-28 rebounding edge, the Ducks’ interior still found ample room to operate. Oregon senior center Tony Woods seemed to have nothing but easy lay-ups, maneuvering around LSU for his 14 points. Sharpshooting senior guard Garrett Sim kept LSU’s defense from focusing on Oregon’s post game, drilling a trio of 3-pointers and finishing with 13 points. LSU came out in an efficient frenzy, out-pacing the Ducks’ own up-tempo attack en route to a 12-8 early advantage that felt more lopsided than the scoreboard indicated. Then the Tigers seemingly forgot how to pass the ball. Oregon amped up the full-court pressure, forcing six LSU turnovers that turned into baskets on 13 of its next 14 possessions to take a commanding lead that never fell below double digits the rest of the game. “We had great energy early, and we just hit a wall,” Johnson said. “Things snowballed from that 10-minute spurt, so we were playing catch-up all game.” LSU made a gradual run late in the second half, cutting the Ducks’ advantage to 10 points by the 4:46 mark. But a Tyrone Nared 3-pointer and two Sim free throws led to a late scoring barrage that secured Oregon’s blowout win. LSU finished the season 1-8 in its final nine road games, while Oregon improved its home record to 16-3. “We had problems keeping our composure on the road against good teams, and that’s why our season’s ending,” Johnson said. “It hurts for our three seniors the most.” Tigers junior transfer center Justin Hamilton completed a solid first season in purple and gold, pacing LSU with 21 points and nine rebounds. The Tigers solved their late-season offensive woes, scoring 20 points more than they averaged during the final three weeks of the season. But LSU ended its season with an atrocious defensive effort, surrendering a season-high 96 points and 57.6 percent shooting to the Ducks.
 
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