Just three weeks ago, LSU had its first matchup of the season with Alabama, leaving Coleman Coliseum at its lowest point of the season, losing 106-66.
That was the fourth consecutive loss of a still ongoing losing streak where seemingly nothing has gone right for the Tigers. Three weeks later, LSU welcomed Alabama to Baton Rouge, and while the losing streak continued, there were positives that could be taken from LSU’s performance.
The loss against Alabama extended LSU’s losing streak to 10, but like the last few losses, the effort was once again there. After giving up 106 in the first matchup, the Tigers held the Crimson Tide to just 79 points. LSU also outrebounded Alabama 40-35, compared to being outrebounded 52-38 in Tuscaloosa.
Another clear difference came in LSU’s aggressiveness. LSU made a point to get to the basket and draw fouls, shooting 31 free throws and making 24 of them. Derek Fountain led the way in that effort, scoring 26 points, 12 of those coming from the free throw line.
“I just come into the game, I tell myself ‘go play hard’ and whatever happens, happens,” Fountain said after the game.
Outside of just the scoring, Fountain was active on both ends of the court, grabbing seven rebounds and tallying four blocks. Twenty-six points was enough for a career high for Fountain in a performance that almost willed LSU to a win.
“I thought Derek Fountain was terrific,” said head coach Matt McMahon. “He embodies everything I want to build this program on relentless effort, energy, he’s all about the team. He’s really stepped forward into a leadership role.”
Alongside Fountain, Cam Hayes had one of his better games this season as well. He finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, knocking down three three-pointers. Despite his scoring, though, LSU had another inefficient day from the field, shooting just 31% and 26% from three-point range.
That ended up being the story of the game as Alabama had another hot shooting night up until the last few minutes. The Crimson Tide shot 45% from the field and knocked down 13 three-pointers on 29 attempts.
Despite the loss, LSU still seems to be showing signs of progress in these last few games. The Tigers are averaging 71.3 points per game in their last three losses compared to just 56.3 points per game in the first seven losses of the streak. Free throw shooting has been a major part of that as the Tigers have averaged 22.3 free throw attempts per game over the last three games.
Outside of the numbers, there seems to be an increased level of effort. After the game, Hayes and Fountain described that effort level as the team being “tired of losing.”
“We’re just tired of losing,” Fountain said. “We just came out to play hard, play harder, or whatever. But that’s just been our mindset, we’ve just been trying to stop the bleeding, stop the losing.”
LSU now drops to 12-11 overall on the season and 1-9 in SEC play. The road in the SEC never gets much easier, and that will be true for LSU as it travels to Starkville to play Mississippi State in its next game. The Bulldogs aren’t quite a top five team like Alabama, but they are a team looking to prove itself to the selection committee with the NCAA Tournament inching closer.
For LSU, the Tigers are hoping to translate these improvements into a win and finally earn its first win in the year 2023. Many say there is no such thing as a moral victory and that was made clear by McMahon and his players postgame. However, a 30-point improvement against a team of Alabama’s caliber feels like a step in the right direction.
