The good times did not roll for the LSU men’s basketball team in Saturday’s 56-50 home loss to Mississippi State University.
The loss is the Tigers’ (14-12, 3-9) eighth in the last nine games.
LSU’s second-half rally from a 14-point deficit was not enough to stop the Bulldogs (15-10, 6-6) from sealing the victory.
Sophomore forward Tasmin Mitchell led the Tigers with 17 points and six rebounds, while junior forward Glen Davis added 14 points and six rebounds. The Tigers shot only 35.6 percent from the field and 3-of-16 from three-point range.
Junior forward Charles Rhodes and sophomore guard Jamont Gordon led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 points each.
The teams were tied at 28 points entering the half, but Mississippi State went on a 19-3 stretch at the beginning of the second half.
LSU began a 13-2 run near the 9:00 mark and narrowed the deficit to 49-48 at 2:52 mark.
But the Tigers never regained the lead as Rhodes hit a jumper at the 1:37 mark to extend the lead to 51-48. Davis made a layup to once again bring the game to a one-point difference.
Davis then fouled and sent Gordon to the free throw line with 0:35 remaining. Gordon made the first and rebounded the miss from his second free throw to retain possession for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs added two more free throws and extended the lead to 54-50.
Davis missed a 3-pointer at the 0:15 mark and sophomore guard Garrett Temple then fouled Gordon to send him to the free throw line. Gordon made both and extended the lead to 56-50 with 0:13 remaining.
The Tigers take on the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., in an ESPN-televised game Tuesday at 8 p.m.