The LSU Tigers (21-5, 11-2 SEC) came out flat Tuesday night, as they have in many games this season, but this time they weren’t able to turn it around.
A slow start didn’t get much prettier on offense in the second half, but the Tigers fought their way to an overtime only to fall short losing 82-77 to the Florida Gators (15-11, 7-6 SEC).
Junior guard Skylar Mays led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points, adding three rebounds. Freshman forward Naz Reid had his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman guard Marlon Taylor, sophomore guard Tremont Waters and senior forward Kavell Bigby-Williams each had 10 points.
Florida senior guard KeVaughn Allen had 21 points including five three’s to lead the Gators in scoring, while senior guard Jalen Hudson added 15 points and three rebounds.
The first 10 minutes of the game went just how Florida prefers to play their games — slow, methodical, and not full of offense.
“We just couldn’t get going offensively throughout the whole game, and played the game to Florida’s pace.” LSU coach Will Wade said.
LSU were also uncharacteristically bad from the free throw line as well, only going 16-of-25, or 64 percent, from the charity stripe.
“I would say that is not like us, but obviously we have to shoot better from the free throw line,” Mays said. “I don’t think that was the only deciding factor in the game though, just going back to how hard they played.”
LSU was stymied by Florida’s zone defense, as the Tigers had trouble taking advantage of their size down low with Reid and Bigby-Williams. The Tigers tried to get the ball to Reid throughout the game, but Florida successfully double-teamed him on a number of occasions.
“They simply wanted it more than us. That’s it,” Reid said.
Florida jumped out to an 17-11 lead with 10:47 to go in the 1st half, as their offense performed marginally better than LSU, but it didn’t matter as their defense played so well.
The Gators shot 48.3 percent from the field, significantly higher than their season average of 41.9. LSU only shot 41.4 percent, well below their season average of 47.2.
Hudson and freshman guard Andrew Nembhard scored 20 of of the Gators 33 points in the first half, as Nembhard was able to get to the rim and Hudson hit two three’s.
LSU freshman forward Darius Days provided a nice spark off the bench, only playing six minutes in the first half, but scoring six points and grabbing a rebound. Mays led the Tigers in scoring with seven points including two rebounds.
The Gators went on a 7-2 run in the first two minutes of the second half, but the Tigers responded with a Mays three and a Bigby-Williams layup.
The momentum continued to trend towards LSU, as Florida’s offense reverted back to its typical self. The Tigers had a stretch in the first ten minutes of the second half where they were able to hold the Gators to just 1-of-8 from the field.
LSU went on a 6-0 run ending with 13:42 to go in the second half to take their first lead of the game since the 18 minute mark of the first half.
The game stayed tight the rest of the way, with neither team going up by more than three. In the final minute of regulation, Reid made two free throws to tie the game 62-62. Florida would make a layup with 51 seconds left to go up by two, but Reid would answer with a layup of his own to tie it with 35 seconds left.
LSU would hold Florida to a shot clock violation to give themselves 5.7 seconds to win it, but a Waters three would miss to send it into overtime.
Overtime was a nail-bitter as well, with the game tied 70-70 with 2:44 seconds left in the game. And that’s when the momentum swung.
Allen would hit two consecutive three’s at the 2:05 and 1:12 minute mark, giving Florida a 76-70 lead.
“He [Allen] was huge for us there overtime, hit some really big shots. He didn’t start the game shooting very well but he’s been big for us in games like these his whole career,” Florida coach Mike White said.
LSU would go down 78-71 with just 47 seconds left, and many of the thousands in attendance at the PMAC headed towards the exits.
But the Tigers certainly didn’t, as they would get a layup and made free throw to cut the lead to just four.
A couple of Gator free throws put it back up to six but a Waters three made it a three-point game with 21 seconds left.
After an LSU timeout, the Tigers came out in a full court press, and were able to get a steal with 14 seconds left, but again a missed Waters three and a Florida rebound sealed the game.
“At the end of the season, whenever that is, it’s going to be to a team like them,” Wade said.
It doesn’t get any easier for LSU as they have an 11 a.m. matchup on Saturday Feb. 20 with No. 5 Tennessee at the PMAC.
