In an otherwise unwatchable offensive performance for both clubs, LSU junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III shined Thursday against Vanderbilt.
The Cleveland, Miss. junior and reigning First Team All Southeastern Conference honoree poured in 25 points and snatched 10 rebounds against an undersized Vanderbilt frontline, as the Tigers grinded out a 57-51 comeback win in Nashville.
The win snapped a seven-game SEC road losing streak for the Tigers (18-11, 9-8 SEC) and was their first win in Memorial Coliseum since 2006.
O’Bryant was the sole contributor for a lethargic LSU offense, which shot 33.3 percent from the field, including a 26.7 percent clip in the first half.
It was a first half that LSU coach Johnny Jones said wasn’t indicative of the physical nature of the Tigers’ frontline tandem of O’Bryant and freshman forward Jordan Mickey.
“I didn’t think we were aggressive enough,” Jones said in a postgame radio interview. “[O’Bryant] and Jordan were sitting there with no fouls, and we didn’t challenge them or compete at the rim.”
The Commodores (15-14, 7-10 SEC) outrebounded the Tigers 22-18 in the first half, while the LSU offense was almost nonexistent. The Tigers were held without a field goal from the 17:47 mark until 12:16 and again from the 9:21 juncture until an O’Bryant bucket with 2:33 to go.
After that bucket made it a 28-14 LSU deficit, the Tigers raced to a 10-4 run to close the half, erasing what once was a 16-point Commodore lead for a manageable 32-24 halftime deficit.
A 6-2 spurt to open the second half pulled the Tigers to within three in the opening four minutes, leading to Jones implementing his trademark full court press for the rest of the way.
“You expend a lot of energy out here on the road trying to press,” Jones said. “We were fortunate enough to get some second chance opportunities, got some turnovers, and when we weren’t able to turn them over, we sped the game up.”
From there, the Tigers clung to within two or three, wasting five separate possessions down two with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Senior forward Shavon Coleman buried two free throws with 3:01 remaining to give the Tigers the lead for good.
The Tigers shot 79 percent from the charity stripe, getting to the line 24 times, as opposed to only 12 attempts for the Commodores.
Senior guard Andre Stringer was the only other Tiger in double figures, chipping in 11, including a perfect eight-for-eight showing at the free throw line, four coming in the final 35 seconds to complete a rally from 16 points down.
Jones credited his team’s resolve, with the Tigers’ defense shoring up to force the Commodores into an atrocious 20.7 percent from the field while garnering a 24-18 rebounding edge in the final 20 minutes.
“[Vanderbilt]’s done a tremendous job of playing at home all year,” Jones said. “We had an uphill climb and a tough battle [after the first half], but to our guys’ credit, they continued to play hard. … We knocked down shots, they missed some, and in the second half we came back and made good plays.”