A tough regular season for coach Matt McMahon’s LSU basketball squad came to an end on Saturday night on the road against the Florida Gators with a 79-67 loss in Gainesville.
Despite the fact that LSU struggled offensively all game, shooting just 38.3% from the field, it managed to take a 33-29 lead to the locker room. The Tigers started the second half on an 11-3 run and stretched their lead to a game-high 12 early in the period.
[autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] had a predictably good game in the absence of the injured Colin Castleton, one of the SEC’s best big men. He had 19 points and nine rebounds, while [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag] also had a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double.
However, the Tigers really struggled to defend the backcourt. Three Florida guards scored in double figures in Riley Kugel, Kyle Lofton and Will Richard, and the Gators made 10 shots from behind the arc.
They stormed back and took control in the final minutes, hitting seven of their final nine shots. LSU, meanwhile, hit just one of its final eight.
This game didn’t matter as far as SEC standings go. Regardless, the Tigers were going to enter the SEC Tournament this coming week as the No. 14 seed. With the regular season in the books, a tough year is almost in the rearview for LSU after Saturday’s most recent loss.
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