LSU and Auburn entered the men’s basketball game Tuesday night with identical 11-6 overall records and 1-2 Southeastern Conference records.
LSU’s 65-58 overtime win showed the teams were just as evenly matched on the court as they appeared on paper.
The victory snapped a two-game losing skid for the Bayou Bengals.
LSU held a 10-point lead in the first half — the largest of the contest— but a cold start to the second half put Auburn in charge by as much as eight in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Freshman guard Anthony Hickey led the Tigers with an 18-point effort.
“When you correct [the freshmen] on any mistake they make, they make that adjustment, and they try their best, and they work extremely hard,” said senior forward Storm Warren. “Their work is paying off.”
Junior center Justin Hamilton paced the Tigers in the first half with nine points but couldn’t connect in the second half, failing to score a single point in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
Hamilton only pulled down two rebounds in the second half, while accounting for two fouls.
But Hamilton made up for his poor second half by hitting the first shot of overtime, drawing a charge against Auburn and pulling down a rebound.
“[Auburn] did a good job of mixing up their defense,” Hamilton said. “They kept on switching [junior center Rob] Chubb and [senior forward Kenny] Gabriel.”
LSU was outscored, 29-22, in the second half, but dominated the scoring in overtime, 9-2.
Junior Auburn guard Frankie Sullivan didn’t start, but made up for his early absence by lighting up the scoreboard for 19 points.
Every time LSU seemed ready to pull away in the first half, Sullivan was there to keep the visiting Tigers in the game.
LSU freshman guard John Isaac sank a long two-pointer just before halftime only to be one-upped by a three-point bomb that came from past half court, courtesy of Sullivan.
But Sullivan couldn’t find the basket late in the match, going scoreless in the final 20:38 of the game.
“We tried to stay in contact with him,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said. “But Frankie Sullivan’s a good basketball player. We did a good job from a team standpoint of trying to wear him down and make him earn everything he got.”
Sullivan couldn’t find much support from his teammates when he couldn’t hit. Auburn shot just 34 percent on the night and didn’t get any help at the stripe, completing only 53 percent of its free throws.
LSU also showed prowess in ball movement, as Hickey accounted for six of LSU’s 18 assists, compared to Auburn’s 12 total assists.
Hickey and sophomore guard Andre Stringer were left out of the starting lineup after arriving late to a video session earlier in the week.
The win may prove vital for the Bayou Bengals before they hit the road to play No. 17 Florida and No. 18 Mississippi State, followed by a home matchup against No. 2 Kentucky.
“It’s important when we’re at home because our fans have been great,” Johnson said. “People are supporting us like it’s unbelievable, so it’s our responsibility to establish a home-court presence.” 
 
Contact Albert Burford at [email protected].