Challenged by LSU coach Johnny Jones prior to the game, Craig Victor heard an all-too familiar whistle at the 14:50 mark of the first half of Saturday’s 76-71 win against No. 15 Texas A&M.
Often plagued by foul trouble at inopportune moments, the sophomore forward was called for his second foul in the midst of a dominant opening five minutes for the Tigers. He headed to the bench for the rest of the period, and LSU lost any semblance of offensive rhythm, finishing the half shooting less than 40 percent.
But this game was “personal” for Victor, and Aggie center Tyler Davis and the other Texas A&M (18-7, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) big men had no answer for him in the second half.
“I had a mission the whole game,” Victor said. “They just cut my mission short.”
Powered by a near-perfect performance at the free throw line, Victor scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to match three other double-figure outings by LSU (16-9, 9-3 SEC) en route to a victory in the PMAC.
With Victor pacing the Tigers in the second period, LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons polished off a complete performance in all 40 minutes of action, pouring in 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
It’s the fourth time Simmons has played at least 40 minutes, but that doesn’t bother him, he said.
“I hate coming off the floor,” Simmons said. “Even if I have four fouls, I don’t want to come off the floor.”
But even Simmons struggled from the field in the first half without Victor in the lineup, as the Tigers missed several layups against a stifling Texas A&M defense. Although the Tigers finished the half shooting 36.4 percent from the field, including a 2-of-8 clip from three-point territory, LSU prevented Texas A&M from gaining a significant advantage despite plenty of missed opportunities under the basket.
In extended minutes off the bench, junior forward Brian Bridgewater and sophomore forward Aaron Epps helped steady the ship defensively against Davis and company.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Epps and Brian because they came in, and they held the load,” Victor said. “They put us in position to win the game in the second half. I was on a mission from the jump because Davis had a good first game [against us]. I took it personal, and put that load on myself to stop him.”
Texas A&M extended its four-point halftime lead back to seven early in the first period, but Victor reentered the game and brought a renewed energy and physicality to the Tigers. Sandwiched around four free throws from Victor, a three-pointer from sophomore guard Antonio Blakeney tied to the score at 42 apiece with 16:36 left.
The Aggies would regain a four-point lead, but LSU continued to claw into the deficit, finally taking a one-point advantage on a pair of free throws from Victor. The New Orleans native drained 8-of-9 free throws on the day, all of which came in the second half.
Immediately after taking the lead, senior guard Keith Hornsby knocked the ball away from Aggie freshman forward D.J. Hogg and hustled down the court to gain possession. The hustle play drew a foul and fired up the large crowd, and Victor drained a jumper on ensuing possession.
For his efforts on the play, Hornsby got brush burn on his upper back, but it was worth it to him.
“I knew it was a long shot to get to it, but I said, ‘why not,’ Hornsby said. “I went for it, and next thing I knew, I had two black jerseys on top of me and a strawberry on my back. That’s OK, though.”
A 6-0 run from Texas A&M followed, but junior guard Tim Quarterman’s trey helped the Tigers weather the storm. Prior to the 3-pointer at the 8:06 mark, Quarterman failed to score. After a rough outing against South Carolina, Jones said his focus on both ends of the floor was the critical part down the stretch.
“This afternoon, he did a great job of running our team, quarterbacking it, getting the ball to guys in areas in scoring position,” Jones said. “On the other end of the floor, he did a great job of initiating our defensive effort, too, in terms of scouting and knowing exactly where we were trying to push the ball and what we were going to do defensively. His engagement was big for us today on both ends of the floor. He really impacted the game.”
Quarterman’s bucket ignited an 18-6 run over a nearly five-minute span, giving LSU its largest lead, 76-67, with 31 seconds left. Even when Texas A&M cut the lead to one point with 3:25 left, Hornsby splashed a triple from the top of the key on the next possession. In that 18-6 run, the Tigers hit all seven of their free throws.
As a team, the Tigers were 23-of-29 from the charity stripe, including Simmons’ 8-of-9 clip.
“I’ve missing a lot of free throws the last few games,” Simmons said “I just took my time and focused when I had my chance.”
LSU jumped out to a 14-6 lead early in the first half, aided by six early turnovers from the Aggies and 5-of-9 start by the Tigers. But the early advantage didn’t last when Victor picked up his second foul just before the first media timeout at the 15:07 mark.
Texas A&M then stormed back, surging to a 9-2 run by the next stoppage in the game, and eventually took 24-22 lead at the 7:43 mark. The Aggies would hold on to for the rest of the half, leading by as many seven points twice in the first period, but Hornsby’s triple just before the half cut the deficit to four, 37-33.