The LSU men’s basketball team overcame an early 10-point deficit and extended its winning streak to eight games with a 75-59 victory over Savannah State (3-10) on Saturday in the PMAC.
The eight-game winning streak is the longest of LSU coach Johnny Jones’ three-year tenure, and the Tigers’ 11-2 start is the best since they began 12-1 in the 2008-09 season.
Sophomore forward Jarell Martin led LSU with a career-high tying 26 points, his fifth 20-point outing of the season. LSU forward Jordan Mickey added 24 points and 14 rebounds for his eighth double-double of his sophomore campaign.
LSU’s All-SEC forward duo of Martin and Mickey shot for a combined 75 percent (21-for-28) from the field.  
Despite the victory, things couldn’t have started worse for Jones’ club. LSU went 3-for-15 from the field and committed five turnovers in the game’s first eight minutes of action.
Savannah State, on the other hand, shot 60 percent (6-of-10) from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line during that same time frame to grab a 16-6 lead with 11:51 remaining in the first half.
But that’s when LSU started finding its touch, particularly from inside the paint. The home Tigers scored 22 points inside the lane over the final 8:27 of the first half to take a halftime lead.
LSU sophomore guard Tim Quarterman found Martin for a two-handed alley-oop to tie the game 16-16, and Martin put LSU up for good with an old-fashioned three-point play at the 3:40 mark.
LSU’s proficiency inside led to an 11-for-15 clip from the floor to close the first half, which resulted in 31-25 lead at the break.
While the home Tigers eventually found their shooting touch, scrappy Savannah State couldn’t maintain its hot start. The visitors were outscored 25-9 to end the first half and connected on just three of their final 14 attempts.
Savannah State finished with a 45-percent shooting clip and dropped to an 0-10 road record. LSU improved to 8-0 at home.