Seven minutes, twenty-one seconds can seem like a lifetime. Just ask the LSU men’s basketball team.
The stage was set. The student section was filled to capacity for the first time in three years. The noise in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center was deafening as the Tigers held a 9-4 lead against the fifth-ranked Florida Gators.
LSU knocked off two top 10 teams at home this season, and it seemed as though the mystique of what once was known as the “Deaf Dome” was back in Baton Rouge.
But then it happened. At the 13-minute mark of the first half, the Gators began a run. A 5-foot jumper by Bonell Colas started it all. That shot generated a 20-3 run during a 7-minute, 21-second span that established the lead and quieted the crowd of more than 8,000.
“We were right where we wanted to be,” said LSU forward Ronald Dupree. “Then they just started going off. A team like this, who is very capable of putting together points quickly, everybody has to come to play.”
The lone score for the Tigers was an Antonio Hudson 3-pointer three minutes into the run which gave the Tigers a short 12-9 lead. Then the Gators did their damage.
Florida took advantage of LSU and went on a 13-0 run, including two of Brett Nelson’s seven 3-pointers.
“I think the stage was set for LSU to beat us tonight with everything that they were going through,” said Florida head coach Billy Donovan. “With all that, I think our guys really stepped up tonight. It was a total team effort.”
The 20-3 run swept through the game like a tornado. What was once a 9-4 LSU lead, turned into a 24-12 Florida advantage in just 7 minutes, 21 seconds.
LSU was able to cut into that lead in the second half and was down five points with 13 minutes left in the contest. But that was as close as the Tigers would get, and the game ended in a 70-53 Florida advantage.
“We didn’t put our heads down or think the game was over,” Dupree said. “We still fought back. We can’t allow [a run like that] to happen.”
The Tigers’ chance to upset a third top 10 team this season was ceased in a matter of 7 minutes, 21 seconds. And Florida left the “Deaf Dome” mute with a 13-game win streak and the best start in school history — 17-2 (6-0 Southeastern Conference).
“Every time you go into a hostile environment, you know it’s going to be a close game,” said Florida center David Lee, who finished with 8 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. “Anytime you go on a run like that and get the crowd out of the game, it really helps. We knew coming in here if we could take the crowd out of the game, it would be a lot easier.”