LSU led by as many as 16 points with 12-minutes, but this Tigers prefer tighter games. Texas made a run, but the Tigers prevailed with a 69-67 win over the Longhorns in an SEC/Big 12 challenge contest. The Bayou Bengals have won eight in a row and the last six games have by four points or less.
Freshman Trendon Watford led the way with a career-high 22 points and six rebounds. Watford had a nice layup in transition to give LSU a 62-60 leads with a 1:53 seconds. Watford also made two big free throws with 16-seconds left. Watford was 9-of-15 from the field, 4-of-7 from the free throw line.
Skylar Mays and Javonte Smart also were in double figures, as each scored 10 points.
LSU did not shoot the ball well from the floor, just 44%. They were also 5-of-16 from 3-point territory, missing all seven attempts in the 2nd half. But LSU made its free throws especially down the stretch, going 16-of-20 from the line.
Sophomore guard Andrew Jones, who normally averages ten points a game, led the 2nd half comeback as he scored 20 points off the bench, including four 3s.
The Tigers switched to a 1-3-1 defense in the final minutes, which slowed Texas down offensively.
The win moves LSU’s record to 15-4 and it’s a big non-conference road win that the Tigers can put in on their NCAA Tournament resume. The Bayou Bengals return to SEC play on Wednesday when they Alabama at 6 PM.
