Instant Analysis: Tyrell Ward’s buzzer-beater stuns Kentucky as LSU men’s basketball earns another ranked win

The Tigers have now revitalized their season with back-to-back wins over top-20 opponents.

When Jordan Wright’s layup with just two seconds to go was blocked, it looked like LSU men’s basketball was doomed to suffer another heartbreaking loss by one point to Kentucky.

But then, Wright secured the rebound and lobbed it up to [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag], who caught the ball in the air and put back a game-winning, buzzer-beater shot to give the Tigers a 75-74 win, marking back-to-back victories for coach Matt McMahon’s team over top-20 opponents.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, but the Wildcats ultimately stretched a nine-point lead at the break. However, LSU flipped the script in the second half in a game that featured 12 ties and 13 lead changes.

An 11-0 run for LSU early in the second half cut the lead to two points, and the teams would trade the lead for much of the rest of that half.

Kentucky thought it delivered the dagger in the final seconds as a Rob Dillingham jumper gave it the lead with 13 seconds to play. But LSU would ultimately respond on the final possession.

Ward ultimately led the team with 17 points, while Wright and [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] also scored in double figures with 13 points each in the win.

The Tigers move to 14-12 (6-7 SEC) and have revitalized their season with a pair of clutch Quadrant 1 wins. They’ll look to keep that streak going when they return to the court at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for another tough game against Mississippi State on Saturday.

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