Again, in another last-minute surge late in the second half, LSU figured it out.
The Tigers (8-2) bursted to a 10-0 run in the final 1:29 of Monday’s game to defeat the College of Charleston, 75-65, in another late-game victory even until the final seconds when Monday’s leading scorer, Duop Reath, blocked a Charleston (8-4) lay up as time expired, avenging last season’s “bad” 70-58 loss, sophomore guard Antonio Blakeney called the defeat Saturday.
“I’m trying to block everything that goes up,” Reath said, smiling, after the 10-point win.
“You can’t teach that,” junior forward Craig Victor added. “The clock goes off and I wanted him to do that. I was like, ‘Man, please don’t give up this bucket.’ That kind of gives us a boost of confidence, pretty much, knowing that’s the last play. They don’t get the see the ball go into the rim … I’m proud of him for blocking that shot.”
Reath, again, carried LSU offensively.
He — through jumpers around the rim and dunks while even stretching for lengthier jump shots at times — knocked in 23 points, tying his season high and second consecutive 20-point game.
Although the win, Monday didn’t feature LSU’s most aesthetically-pleasing final 20 minutes.
LSU’s 16 turnovers was far too many, LSU coach Johnny Jones said.
“The main thing is talking on defense, knowing the situation — cracking down and playing defense towards the end of the game,” Victor said.
“We had a few slack-off plays, but we had 16 turnovers, so that explains that … That’s way too many throughout the course of the game — anywhere between eight and 10 with the style of play that we have. But 16 is way too many.”
Reath has scored in double figures in nine of LSU’s 10 games, paving LSU’s way to its fifth 50 percent shooting night from the field this season. The Tigers are undefeated this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
LSU’s game plan for Monday was to pound it inside to Reath and Victor, Jones said — hence seven points via Blakeney, LSU’s leading scorer who averaged 16.9 points per game prior to Monday.
“Take our time running the offense and letting things come to us,” sophomore guard Brandon Sampson said. “We stuck to our assignments, got the ball inside. Everything just came to us instead of rushing everything.”
Additionally, Victor surpassed his season-high point total with 18 Monday night. His previous high was 14 when he notched his third career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“Really liked the play of our post guys,” Jones said. “They’re really showing some consistency out there … As the game played out, they became a focal point late.”
Sampson, a Baton Rouge native, aided LSU’s bigs with 10 points before the 10-minute mark in the first half Monday.
Sampson had 10 points in 32 minutes Saturday against Texas Southern and finished with 20 Monday, his highest point total this season.
“Last game, I didn’t shoot the ball too well,” Sampson said. “I didn’t try to shoot the ball as much as I did, then I started feeling better. Just going to the rack, so I got real comfortable with that and think I did really good with that.”