Tigers steal another ‘W’
The LSU men’s basketball team finally broke its 10-game Southeastern Conference road losing streak by coming from behind to beat Arkansas (12 12, 4-8 SEC) Saturday 67-63.
After losing six straight games, the Tigers (14 11, 4-8 SEC) now have won two straight and have a new outlook on the season.
“It was a big win for us to go to Arkansas and win, because it’s always tough to play there,” said junior point guard Torris Bright. “It feels really good to win two SEC games in a row and get that monkey off our back.”
Junior forward Ronald Dupree kept the Tigers close in the first half by scoring 26 of LSU’s 37 points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer. Dupree finished the game with a career-high 30 points and nine boards.
“They were pressing us [in the first half] and it was a fast-paced game,” Dupree said. “There was a lot of open court action, and I was able to attack the seams and get some shots.”
Brandon Dean led three Razorback players in double figures with 15 points, but it was not enough to take home the victory in front of their home crowd of 18,761 fans.
The Tigers were down by five points with 2:36 left in the game, but Bright made a three-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 1:54 left.
Bright, who is second in the SEC in three-point percentage, had 17 points and nine rebounds against the Razorbacks and was the only other Tiger who scored in double figures. Bright needs just 23 points to join the 1,000 point club at LSU.
This marks the second game in a row that LSU has come from behind to win the game. In last Wednesday’s game against Mississippi St. the Tigers came from 15 points behind to win the game in overtime.
After a steal by Jermaine Williams, Bright added a layup to give the Tigers the lead for good.
“We think we can compete with anybody now,” Bright said. “Jermaine hit some big free throws and we pulled out the win.”
Williams continued his excellent free-throw shooting by hitting 5-of-6 from the line in the last 30 seconds of the game to keep the Tigers on top.
Williams currently is shooting 19-of-21 from the line in SEC play.
With a new-found confidence, the Tigers are now hopeful of a postseason tournament bid. LSU has four games left and one win would give the Tigers a winning record and a shot at the National Invitational Tournament.
“Our goal is to finish out the season strong,” Dupree said. “I feel we can have at least three-out of-four and try and get a postseason bid. My goal is to still get an NCAA [Tournament] bid.”
The Tigers can receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament if they win the SEC Tournament which will be held in Atlanta next month.
The Tigers get their chance to continue to make a run for a postseason bid Wednesday night at 6 p.m. as they travel to South Carolina in hopes of extending their winning streak to three games.
Bryan Wideman