LSU took advantage of 26 Seton Hall turnovers and overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to take a thrilling 72-67 win against the Pirates in the Big East-SEC Challenge on Thursday.
The Tigers (5-0) switched to a full-court press in the second-half, forcing the Pirates (5-2) into errant passes and sloppy ballhandling.
“We had a big defender on the front end and he was able to get [his] hands on ball,” said LSU sophomore guard Anthony Hickey. “It was a great win for us.”
Trailing by 8 at halftime, LSU dug itself in a deep hole in the first 30 seconds of the second half as Seton Hall buried two consecutive threes after an LSU turnover to stretch its lead to 41-27.
Led by Hickey’s six steals and senior guard Charles Carmouche’s four swipes, the Tigers chipped away at the Pirate lead throughout the second half with a press Hickey said the Tigers hadn’t practiced in quite some time.
“[The press] created some energy, not only in our team but the fans were able to get into the game as well,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones. “That really spurred us on.”
Fighting off double teams all evening, LSU sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III was able to power his way to a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Junior forward Shavon Coleman paced the Tigers for the third straight game, scoring 18 off the bench as one of four Tigers in double figures.
“We were trying to force [offense] out of them,” Coleman said. “I tried to always make a play for another player. I just came out there in the second half and executed well.”
The Tigers rectified their much maligned free throw shooting late in the game, hitting seven of eight in the final 2:16 to ice the game and complete the comeback.
O’Bryant likened Thursday’s win to last season’s 67-59 home win against No. 10 Marquette, where the Tigers had to overcome a similar deficit early in the game.
“No one was giving us a shot,” O’Bryant said. “It was the same tonight. We fought hard. Coach Jones coached us great and all the guys responded.”
Jones praised the spirited PMAC crowd of 7,295 as the impetus to the team’s resiliency and had a request for the Tigers’ next home contest against Chattanooga.
“I hope they liked our style of play and what they saw tonight,” Jones said. “The ones that were here tonight need to make sure they bring someone with them the next game. The fans make a difference.”
LSU sophomore guard Anthony Hickey (1) drives past Seton Hall guard Tom Maayan (0) Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, during the Tigers' 72-67 victory against the Pirates in the PMAC.
