The Tigers began Wednesday night’s game against Mississippi State looking like the team that gave top-five Alabama a scare on Saturday. Unfortunately, the second half largely resembled the rest of the last month and change as LSU fell 64-53 in Starkville.
With the loss, the Tigers drop to 12-12 (1-10 SEC) on the season and have now lost 11-straight games after beginning the season 12-1.
In the opening minutes, it looked like LSU was heading for another ugly performance on the road. The Tigers quickly fell behind 10-0 thanks to a hot start from the Bulldogs, but MSU cooled off and a 10-point run of their own allowed the Tigers to get back in the game.
LSU spent a lot of the first half nursing a minimal lead and shooting above 50%, but that offensive success wouldn’t last. The Tigers ended the first half on a 7:20 scoring drought, turning the ball over seven times in that span.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, ended the frame on a 9-0 run and took a slim 25-22 lead to the locker room.
LSU had a slow start offensively in the second, and the Bulldogs took advantage. They quickly stretched out a double-digit lead, and the Tigers spent the rest of the game playing catch-up.
The offense improved, and LSU ultimately shot 44% in the second half, but it wasn’t enough against an MSU team that couldn’t miss. Mississippi State hit 15 of 23 shots (65.2%), and though star Tolu Smith was held relatively in check with 10 points, D.J. Jeffries scored 18, while Shakeel Moore scored 13.
[autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] led the way with 11 points for the Tigers, while [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag] each scored 10.
LSU will have to wait to try to end its losing streak until Saturday when it returns to Baton Rouge to host a very hot Texas A&M team.
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