The LSU basketball team used the 3-point arc to its advantage and cruised to a 94-63 victory in a crucial Southeastern Conference matchup against Auburn Wednesday at the PMAC.
With 11:07 left in the game, LSU sophomore Antonio Hudson drained the Tigers’ 14th 3-pointer of the game, breaking the school record. The Tigers finished with 16.
Darrel Mitchell and Collis Temple III led the Tigers with 19 points each, while Torris Bright, Jaime Lloreda and Ronald Dupree all scored in double digits leading the Tigers to their second straight win by a large margin.
During a meeting Monday, head coach John Brady and Bright were looking over film and discussing the game plan for the upcoming game. Brady turned to Bright and told him the team needed him to shoot the ball more.
Bright stepped up to his coach’s challenge and got things rolling for LSU. Less than two minutes into the game with the scored tied at four, Bright hit the first of his four 3-pointers, giving the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.
“I felt like I had a good rhythm out there,” Bright said. “I think we’re starting to play real good, but we’ve got to take things one game at a time.
Shortly after, Temple and Mitchell got into the action. Temple finished the game 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, and Mitchell was perfect through five attempts.
“Bright got things going because he came out shooting well,” Mitchell said. “And I just continued doing what he was doing. I think that’s our best shooting night all year.”
The only bright spot for Auburn was the decision by head coach Cliff Ellis to put in sharpshooter Troy Gaines with nine minutes remaining in the game.
Gaines led Auburn with 18 points, all coming in the final nine minutes of the game. He made 5-of-5 from 3-point land and added three more points from the free-throw line.
Auburn’s season-leading scorer Marquis Daniels (19 points per game) scored only 11 as LSU utilized man-to-man and zone defenses, taking him out of the game.
“Defense creates offense,” Hudson said. “We played good defense, and all I want is for this team to win.”
LSU (16-9, 5-8 SEC) is now in third place in the SEC West race, while Auburn (18-8, 7-6 SEC) drops from first to second.
Auburn won the last meeting between the teams 56-54 just 18 days ago in Auburn, Ala. A last second three-point opportunity by Hudson fell short, and Auburn escaped with the win. With 50 points in the first half, LSU nearly eclipsed its total of the first game at Auburn.
Brady said the fact that LSU accumulated its second-highest total of assists this season — 26 — including 15 in the first half, allowed the Tigers to get more out their offense.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team play more unselfish than I saw tonight,” Brady said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt as good about a team being unselfish. I couldn’t be prouder of a collection of people.”
According to Brady, the Tigers have been playing well together during the past few games. In their last two games, the Tigers jumped out to quick leads and have outscored their opponents 99-35 in the first half. LSU led Auburn 50-26 at intermission Wednesday and in last Saturday’s game against Arkansas, the Tigers held a 49-19 halftime lead.
LSU stretched its lead 24-point halftime lead to 40 points on two separate occasions in the second half. The first was on a four-foot jumper by Lloreda giving LSU a 74-34 lead, and the second came when Lloreda sank two free throws one minute later, making the score 76-36.
With 3:24 remaining in the first half, LSU went on a 13-0 run, extending its lead to 48-24, much to the delight of the 5,159 fans in attendance.
“I’m appreciative of the people that came to watch the players play,” Brady said. “We’re not the greatest team, but the way they’re playing together, they can beat a lot of teams.”
The Tigers travel to Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday for a 7 p.m. matchup with the University of Tennessee (15-9, 7-6 SEC), who is coming off a 80-68 loss to No. 2 Kentucky Wednesday night.