Defense was at a premium Wednesday night at Memorial Gymnasium as No. 18 LSU fell to Vanderbilt 90-99, who entered on a historic 26-game SEC losing streak.
The Commodores last won an SEC game on March 3, 2017, but that changed in a big way tonight against the only unbeaten team in the conference.
“This was a hell of a night for us,” said first-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse. “These guys have worked their butts off and deserve what just happened to them.”
Vandy shot the lights out, led by junior guard Saben Lee and junior guard Maxwell Evans, who posted 33 and 31 points respectively. In a losing effort, the Tigers finished with four players in double-figures, but Trendon Watford led the team in scoring with a career-high 26 points, while Emmitt Williams added 24 of his own.
“Saben Lee had us spinning around like a top,” LSU head coach Will Wade said postgame. “I’m happy for [Vandy]. They have been playing hard. They kept working. The kids kept fighting. They deserved to win.”
While the Commodores led for most of the night, LSU went on a 9-0 run in the final six minutes to go up 83-80. Fans were just waiting for the Tigers to pull away in the second half, but Vanderbilt took each punch and responded with one of their own.
“Give them credit. We had them down four with about five or six minutes left,” Wade said. “They haven’t won in a long time. We’ve been pretty good at digging some games out like that. They didn’t fold. It’s a humbling experience for us.”
Coming into the game, Wade recognized the potential success that could be coming from Vandy. “They’re gonna win some games,” Wade said on Monday. “I hope it’s not against us on Wednesday. They’re going to win, more than one, because their effort level is consistent. When they make those threes, they’re very good.”
Wade was spot-on in his scouting report as the Commodores’ effort never wavered and their shooting ability remained consistent for all forty minutes.
In fact, Vandy finished the game 5-of-5 from the field to top off a crushing loss for LSU.
In the end, it wasn’t offense that was the issue. A sluggish and uninspired performance defensively ultimately snapped the Tigers 13-game road SEC win streak and 10-game win streak overall in Nashville.
The last time LSU gave up 99+ points in a basketball game was Jan. 25, 2017, where the Tigers lost to the Florida Gators, 71-106 at the Maravich Center. That team also went 10-21 overall and 2-16 in conference, to put it in perspective.
Statistically, the Tigers went 29-of-62 (47%) from the field and a miserable 4-of-18 (22%) from three-point range tonight. Vandy was considerably better, shooting 35-of-61 (57%) for the contest. Usually dominant on the glass, LSU only won the battle on the boards by a small margin, out-rebounding the Commodores 38-30. And, although it didn’t feel like it, there were 11 lead changes.
It doesn’t get any easier for Wade’s squad going forward, so the page must be turned quickly.
Next, the Tigers will travel to the Plains to face No. 11 Auburn on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. The winner will leave Auburn Arena in first place in the SEC standings.
