According to the Web site dictionary.com, the definition of adversity is as follows: a state of hardship or affliction; misfortune.
After the LSU basketball team’s performance Wednesday night against Ole Miss, victory should be added on to that definition.
Despite the loss of the Tigers’ All-SEC performer Jaime Lloreda to mysterious circumstances and a dismal 10-point first half, LSU (18-8, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) rallied to score 48 points in the second half and beat the Rebels (12-14, 4-11 SEC) 58-45 in the PMAC.
Earlier in the day, LSU released a statement on the status of the awol Lloreda, who had gone to Miami to receive a second opinion on his injured foot from Dr. John Uribe.
The statement included Lloreda’s explanation for no longer being with the team.
“I have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis,” Lloreda said in the statement. “The good news is that it is unlikely to require surgery and there should not be any long-term problems with my foot that would restrict my ability to perform on the basketball court. The bad news, however, is that, based on the recommendations I have received, my recovery and rehabilitation will not permit me to rejoin the team this season.”
Early in the game, it seemed the announcement affected the Tigers.
LSU shot 20.8 percent from the field, was outrebounded by six and turned the ball over eight times.
But Lloreda’s departure ended up bringing the team together.
Down by as many as 16 points at the 13:52 mark in the second half, LSU outscored Ole Miss 41-12 the rest of the way to pull one game above .500 in the SEC. The Tigers mainly used a lineup of four freshmen and one sophomore in their comeback.
LSU coach John Brady was adamant about how proud he was of his players, especially with all the things they had to deal with in the previous week.
“I believed in them when some of you might not,” Brady said of his players. “I do. So excuse me while I blow a little steam, OK, because I’m proud of what I saw. Very proud of them.”
Brady said despite only scoring 10 points in the first half, the main message he conveyed to his team at halftime was the deficit was only 11 points.
“I told them at halftime, ‘Guys, you’re only down 11,'” Brady said. “I don’t care if the score is 41-30, 51-40, 31-20, it doesn’t matter. It’s 11 points. That’s what it is. Eleven points. It doesn’t matter what the score was. It could’ve been 11-0. And when the game is said and done, it’s not how many points you’ve scored, it’s whether you win or lose the game.”
But points came in leaps and bounds in the second half. LSU shot 68.0 percent from the floor in the second half, including three-of-four from 3-point range. They forced 10 Ole Miss turnovers in that half and forced the Rebels to shoot 39.1 percent for the game.
“We played good against Kentucky,” said LSU freshman point guard Tack Minor, who had 11 points and played a large role in the comeback. “We had confidence we could play without Jaime. We did it and we won a big game tonight.”
Freshman Ross Neltner, who before Sunday’s loss to Kentucky received minimal minutes, once again played a large role for for the Tigers, notching 26 minutes and scoring five huge points.
Neltner said the past week was a valuable learning experience for the freshmen and it made them grow up fast.
“You lose Jaime so we’ve got to step up in other spots,” Neltner said. “We’re asked to play a lot more. Before these last couple games I had been averaging five minutes a game just to give guys a break on the bench. But now, Coach Brady’s got to put me in there and I have to produce and contribute while I’m in there. So we’ve got to grow up.”
Fellow freshman forward Brandon Bass, who has been a big part of LSU’s offense the whole season, struggled in the first half, making one-of-three shots he took and missing both free throws. But in the second half, he sank four-of-five shots and finished with 14 points.
“The first half I just wanted to rush and get points on the board,” Bass said. “Because I knew we were going to need them. The second half I just said I was going to do whatever it took for us to get the win. If I had to kick it out for the perimeter guys to shoot threes or me scoring, I just blocked everything out and tried to do whatever I could to get the win.”
Bass said coming into the game he was aware the team might need him to produce more because of the loss of Lloreda’s almost 17 points and 12 rebounds a game. But he said everyone had to step and they did just that.
“I think about that,” Bass said. “Because that was a big loss for us. Everybody just has to step up. That’s all.”
Senior guard Aaron Harper scored 20 points for the Rebels, but LSU shut down the SEC’s second-leading scored Justin Reed, who scored six points on 3-of-12 shooting.
“When Reed was in the game with another post [player], we wanted to double Reed on the post off of the other post that was in the game,” Brady said. “When Ole Miss went to four perimeter (players), we wanted to double Reed on the post off the worst shooter on the floor at the time. And our players carried it out marvelously and I was proud of them for that.”