PITTSBURGH — In perhaps fitting fashion, the clock finally struck midnight on the LSU men’s basketball team.
The ninth-seeded Tigers, who’ve been their own worst enemy for much of the season, shot themselves in the foot for the last time, falling to eighth-seeded North Carolina State, 66-65, on Thursday night at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The loss knocked LSU out of the NCAA Tournament, which the Tigers made for the first time in six seasons. The Wolfpack advanced to the round of 32 and will face No. 1 seed Villanova on Saturday.
LSU (22-11) led NC State by as many as 16 points early in the second half but couldn’t hold on down the stretch. After trailing by 12 points with 9:15 to go, NC State (21-13) outscored the Tigers, 18-3, to advance to the next round.
Wolfpack sophomore forward BeeJay Anya hit the game-winning bucket with less than one second left, and LSU freshman guard Jalyn Patterson’s full-court heave was too late, as well as off the mark.
“They started celebrating, and it felt like all the life was sucked out of me,” said LSU junior guard Keith Hornsby. “I looked at the crowd and heard their fans going crazy. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve felt in my life.”
It was perhaps even worse for LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey, who missed four consecutive free throws and a short jumper in the final 1:25 of the game.
After the game, a sobbing and distraught Mickey placed the blame on his shoulders.
“It’s tough,” Mickey said. “I’m disappointed in myself. For me to have the game in my hands like that and not be able to finish is a great deal of disappointment. But I couldn’t be more proud of this team. We did a lot of positive things this year, but for it to come down like this, it hurts.”
But Mickey wasn’t the only LSU player to go cold in the second half. As a team, the Tigers went 8-for-17 from the free throw line in the second half and shot a dismal 29.2 percent from the field.
LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin, who is Mickey’s roommate and best friend on the squad, said his teammate wasn’t to blame for the Tigers late-game collapse.
“It wasn’t [Mickey] that cost us this game,” Martin said. “It’s a team thing. It’s a team that went out there on the floor. It’s a team when we lose and when we win. It’s not his fault.”
Sophomore guard Tim Quarterman led the Tigers with one of his better all-around games of the season, with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Martin added 16 points and 11 boards, and Mickey finished with 12 points, 14 boards and six blocks but went 4-for-9 from the charity stripe.
NC State sophomore guard Anthony “Cat” Barber led the winning side with 17 points. Wolfpack senior guard Ralston Turner, a former LSU standout, chipped in 10 points, and freshman forward Abdul-Malik Abu tallied 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
Despite getting the win, NC State didn’t shoot much better than LSU from the field, shooting 42.4 percent and 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from 3-point territory. But the Wolfpack hit eight of its last 19 field goals, while the Tigers missed their final 12.
“We played a good 35 minutes,” Quarterman said. “In the end, they just made a big run. For it to end like that on a roll-in was crazy.”
For now, the Tigers can only think of “what if” and look toward next season. But Thursday’s deflating loss won’t leave their minds anytime soon.
“This one will hurt for a while,” Hornsby said.
You can reach David Gray on Twitter @dgray_TDR.