The LSU men’s basketball team had a five-point lead with 4:36 remaining in Wednesday’s game at the University of Mississippi, but as has been the case in several Southeastern Conference games this season, the Tigers could not find a way to close out their opponent. Rebels senior guard Clarence Sanders nailed a jumper from the corner with 0.6 seconds remaining in the game to give Ole Miss (17-8, 6-5) a 71-70 victory against LSU (14-11, 3-8). The play was set up when junior forward Glen Davis’s attempted cross-court pass was picked off by Rebels junior guard Brian Smith. Ole Miss point guard Todd Abernethy then rushed the ball up where he found Sanders in the right corner for the game-winner. Sanders finished the contest with a game-high 29 points. Abernethy was the only other Rebel in double figures with 12 points. The Tigers’ heartbreaking loss overshadowed strong performances from their starting frontcourt. Davis notched the 43rd double-double of his career with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Senior forward Darnell Lazare had a career-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting. LSU shot 60.9 percent from the field, while Ole Miss hit only 45.3 percent of its shots. The Tigers out-rebounded the Rebels, 37-23, but committed 16 turnovers compared to the Rebels’ four. LSU coach John Brady said in a post-game radio interview that impatience cost the Tigers their second-straight victory. “We competed so well and defended so well,” Brady said. “It’s really unfortunate. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced anything like that in my coaching career. The game was done. Just hold the ball and dribble it across half-court one time, and we win.” Lazare scored seven of LSU’s first 12 points. The teams battled to three ties before the Rebels’ 12-2 surge pushed the lead to double-digits for the first time in the game, 26-16. LSU fought back to cut the lead to 28-26, but Ole Miss kept its slim advantage at 39-36 going into halftime. Ole Miss knocked down seven of its 16 3-point attempts in the first 20:00. LSU committed 10 turnovers in the first half, while Ole Miss’ lone first-half turnover came from junior center Dwayne Curtis with 57 seconds remaining in the half. The Rebels outscored the Tigers in points off turnovers in the game, 27-4. Lazare tied the game at 43 with a tip-in 4:01 into the second half, but poor transition defense from the Tigers led to senior guard Bam Doyne scoring a layup on the other end a mere 5 seconds later. Midway through the second half, Davis aggravated the quadriceps injury he suffered Saturday during the Tigers’ 71-67 win against the University of Arkansas. Davis sat out a couple minutes before returning to the court. The Tigers led on three separate occasions following Doyne’s layup. The Rebels lost the lead when sophomore guard Garrett Temple hit a jumper to give LSU a two-point advantage with 9:09 left. Ole Miss did not lead again until Sanders’ game-winning shot. “There’s nothing more I can do,” Brady said. “I can’t make that last decision [Davis’ turnover]. That’s just something we’ve just got to do. That’s kind of been our story all year.” The loss to Ole Miss was LSU’s fourth SEC defeat by three points or less.
Brady said he does not want LSU fans to begin to rip his team, and he hopes the Tiger faithful continue to support his struggling squad. “We need some people to come out and help us Saturday [against Mississippi State University] and get these young men’s heads right,” he said. “They don’t need to be hammered. It’s just heartbreaking. You have no idea of that locker room and how it is. If people are critical of these players, shame on them.”
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