LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson understood the steep task facing his team entering Sunday afternoon’s game.
The Tigers, who haven’t won a conference game since Jan. 12, were welcoming Florida, the Southeastern Conference leader and No. 14 squad in the country.
The game was a near blowout when the Gators (21-5, 10-2) were up by 15 points at halftime, but second-half adjustments led to a competitive game, albeit in a 68-61 defeat for LSU.
“I’m not into false confidence. I’m not into moral victories,” Johnson said. “They were better than us like a lot of people.”
The Tigers (10-17, 2-10) shrunk Florida’s lead to six points with 4:41 to play off a jumper by freshman guard Ralston Turner.
But Florida wasn’t going to let LSU pull the upset and held on for a seven-point win, sealing the Tigers’ 10th consecutive loss.
“We played a strong second half,” said freshman guard Matt Derenbecker. “We were where we needed to be with four minutes left.”
LSU’s failure to overcome a deficit in the final minutes is nothing new for the team. The Tigers didn’t record any points in the last four minutes against Alabama on Wednesday in the team’s first of two straight defeats on ESPN.
Lack of points late in the game also hurt the Tigers’ chance to pull out victories against South Carolina, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
“It’s the same old story,” Johnson said. “That’s probably as good as we can play at this time of year.”
Walk-on guard Daron Populist, who has averaged 4.4 minutes of playing time this season, handled the ball in the final minutes instead of freshman guard Andre Stringer or junior guard Chris Bass.
Populist had two points in his 11 minutes on the floor.
“We knew he could play in a game of this magnitude and stay poised,” Johnson said. “He steadied us. He’s a very calm influence.”
LSU may not have scored enough in the final minutes to earn its third win, but it did improve after halftime. The Tigers’ eight-point advantage against Florida in the second half is the first time they recorded more points than their opponent in the final 20 minutes during SEC play.
“We just came out with the intensity that I wish we could have come out with from the start of the game because it would have been a completely different game,” Derenbecker said.
Three Florida players scored at least 16 points en route to the victory while only Turner (18) got into double digits for LSU.
“I wish there were some things that we could do different,” Johnson said. “I wish I could force them to be bigger and stronger and faster right now, but there are some things we just have to wait for.”
Florida was without senior forward Chandler Parsons, who averages 10.8 points and 7.7 rebounds a night.
The Gators still had a strong post presence, scoring 26 points in the paint in the first half, while the entire LSU team only recorded 25 points through the first 20 minutes.
LSU junior forward Storm Warren, the Tigers’ main force down low, admitted being preoccupied with avoiding foul trouble.
“I always get those fouls, and I was more worried about staying on the floor and keeping my hands to myself,” Warren said.
The Tigers will hit the road for Starkville, Miss., to meet Mississippi State on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. contest.
Follow Michael Lambert on Twitter @TDR_Lambert.
 
 
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]