It seems like the LSU Tigers (18-4, 8-1 SEC) save their best basketball for the final minutes of a game. And fortunately for the Tigers, it wasn’t too late Wednesday night unlike last Saturday against Arkansas.
Sophomore guard Tremont Waters and freshman forward Naz Reid carried the offensive load for the Tigers, with Waters going for 26 points, five steals, five assists and four rebounds. Reid tied his career high in points with 29, along with nine rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
Senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon led Mississippi State (16-6, 4-5 SEC) in scoring with 27 points, including four three’s. Freshman Reggie Perry had his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
LSU held the lead for the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Bulldogs went on a 15-0 run with 11:44 to play in the first half and didn’t look back.
A trend that’s continued from LSU’s past few games has been their poor shooting from three-point land. The Tigers were 3-11 from beyond the arc, just 27.3 percent. LSU has shot under 30 percent dating back to their 89-67 win over South Carolina on Jan. 19.
But the Tigers managed to keep the game within arm’s reach throughout the second half, and just like so many games before, turned up the intensity and made tough shots to tie the game with three minutes to go in the second half.
“We had no answer for [Quinndary] Weatherspoon, and [Reggie] Perry tonight,” LSU coach Will Wade said. “They were just phenomenal. We were fortunate enough to get it to overtime. We kind of clawed our way back to get it to overtime, and then found a way to obviously hit the big three.”
The game stayed tied 83-83 at the end of regulation following both teams going one for two from the free throw line, and then it was time for the Naz Reid show.
Reid scored seven of the Tigers nine points, including a dagger three with 15 seconds left to give LSU a four point lead, essentially ending the game.
“Naz Reid was fantastic. He had a phenomenal second half, and they did a really good job of getting him the ball,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said.
LSU has a tough schedule ahead, with their next two games against Auburn and on the road against No. 5 Kentucky, but getting the win Wednesday night certainly will help the Tigers‘ confidence following a gut-wrenching loss to Arkansas.
The Tigers get Auburn at home in the PMAC on Saturday, Feb. 9, with a 1 p.m. tip-off.