The LSU men’s basketball team gave No. 19 Memphis all they could muster, but it wasn’t enough as LSU fell, 70-61, in Tupelo, Miss., dropping its record to 2-2.
 
LSU twice fell behind by nine points before rallying to take the lead.
 
With 11 minutes left in the first half, LSU fell behind, 20-11, before going on an 13-3 run to take its first lead of the game. Sophomore Aaron Dotson sparked the run by nailing a 3-pointer and dishing out three of his team-high four assists.
 
LSU went into the half with a 1-point lead. But the Tigers stumbled out of the gates in the second half, going almost five minutes before scoring their first points of the half.
 
Memphis (4-0) used the stagnant LSU effort to build another 9-point lead, but LSU finally regained its touch.
 
This time it was freshman guard Ralston Turner’s turn to rally the Tigers.
 
Turner scored six of the Tigers’ 10 points during a 10-2 LSU run that put the Tigers ahead for the first time since the end of the first half.
 
But the lead didn’t last long, as freshman Chris Crawford drilled a 3-pointer to put Memphis ahead for good.
 
LSU had its best effort of the season taking care of the basketball, only turning the ball over 13 times. LSU also matched Memphis in the rebound department — both teams tallied 30 boards.
 
“If we rebound and take care of the ball like we did tonight, we can play with anybody,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson in a postgame radio interview.
 
But LSU only shot 35 percent from the field, struggling on numerous occasions to find the net.
 
LSU’s talented triumvirate of guards once again led the team’s scoring efforts.
 
Dotson, Turner and freshman Andre Stringer were the only Tigers in double figures for the game.
 
But Turner and Stringer couldn’t  find their shooting touch for the majority of the game. The two freshmen combined to make only five of their 16 shots.
 
“We ran some set stuff, where guys come off the roll open — Ralston, Andre, the ball just didn’t go down for them,” Johnson said. “The important thing is we executed and set good screens.”
 
The Tigers didn’t get much from their starting frontcourt, with junior forwards Malcolm White and Storm Warren both fouling out of the game. Neither were effective as they  were both in foul trouble for the majority of the game.
 
“It’s frustrating for me that our post guys weren’t able to play,” Johnson said. “I guess I have to do a better job of getting them to understand and adjust to how the game is called.”
The Tigers return to action Wednesday at the PMAC, when they try to get back over .500 against Centenary.
 
 
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]