The LSU men’s basketball team wanted to win its last seven games of the regular season.
But the Tigers couldn’t fight off a gritty Texas A&M club for win No. 2.
LSU missed its last seven field goals over the final 4:30 of the game, and the Tigers fell to the Aggies, 68-62, Tuesday night in Reed Arena.
Three days after blowing out Tennessee by 18 points on the road, the Tigers (18-8, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) faced a much tougher opponent in the Aggies (18-7, 9-4 SEC), who won both games against LSU this season by a combined nine points.
Sophomore guard Tim Quarterman hit a 3-pointer to give LSU a 59-58 lead with 5:20 remaining in the game. But it was the last field goal for the Tigers, who scored just three points on three free throws over the final five minutes of regulation.
After trailing by eight points early in the second half, Texas A&M ended the game on a 10-3 run to sweep the season series against the Tigers. The Aggies defeated LSU, 67-64, in the PMAC on Jan. 17.
“I thought Texas A&M wound up making some big shots,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones. “Unfortunately, we did not defend as tough as we needed to or rebound the ball.”
Paint scoring and rebounding are categories the Tigers have usually dominated this season, but that wasn’t the case against the Aggies. Texas A&M outscored LSU in the paint (36-22) and in second-chance points (18-5) while also beating the Tigers on the glass, 38-31.
But the Aggies’ defense on LSU sophomore forwards Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey down low was as key to their victory as their interior play on offense.
Martin and Mickey finished with a total of 19 points and 10 rebounds. The duo entered the game averaging a combined 33 points and 19.7 boards per game.
“Our post guys have been great for us all year,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get off to a great start, and it just wasn’t a great night for them [Tuesday].”
Each team had three players reach double figures. Martin finished with a team-high 13 points but was limited to only 24 minutes before fouling out for the fourth time this season. LSU guards Keith Hornsby and Jalyn Patterson chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, but made only five of a combined 15 3-pointers.
Texas A&M junior guard Danuel House was the game’s high-point man with 20 on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. House also drained three 3-pointers during the Aggies’ 21-10 run to start the game.
“In the beginning of the game, Danuel House did a great job of shooting the ball and stretching them,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, the guards started penetrating, we would come over and help, and they got some easy dump-down passes and easy scoring opportunities.”
The Aggies scorched the nets early in the first half, draining eight of their first 12 shots to take an 11-point lead with 11:34 to play before the break.
But the Tigers responded with a 24-5 explosion to take control of the game. LSU shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the field in the first half, including 42.9 (6-for-14) percent from 3-point territory, and went into the break ahead 36-31. 
However, that sharpshooting didn’t last. The Tigers missed 10 of their last 11 shots after sophomore forward Brian Bridgewater hit a jumper to give LSU a 56-54 lead with seven minutes remaining.
As a team, the Tigers shot 33 percent in the second half and made only two of their 10 3-pointers.
Martin hit a pair of free throws to knot the game, 61-61, but Texas A&M senior forward Kourtney Roberson responded less than a minute later by completing an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Aggies the lead for good.
“Their guys stepped up,” Jones said. “Kourtney Roberson goes 7-of-10 and gets 16 [points] and 11 [rebounds]. That’s a huge night for him. House got his 20, and I thought we did a decent job on everyone else. Offensively, we just didn’t score enough down the stretch.”