Despite leading for nearly 39 minutes of game-time, LSU came up short against a Missouri team that is likely tournament bound. The Tigers lost 81-76 on senior night, dropping the team to 13-17 (2-15 SEC).
Coach Matt McMahon’s squad has now lost back-to-back games after ending a 14-game losing streak against Vanderbilt last Wednesday night.
The Tigers flipped the script in this game, eschewing their typical slow start in favor of a red-hot one. They made four of their first seven shots and jumped out to an early 13-2 lead. Missouri would cut into that, but it never led in the first half.
LSU shot 48% in one of its better offensive first halves in recent memory, maintaining control of the lead and stretching it out to as much as 19 before carrying a 13-point advantage into the locker room.
Missouri took back the momentum coming out of the locker room, opening the second half on an 11-2 run that cut the LSU lead to four. The Tigers managed to extend that lead back out to eight, but an 8-0 Mizzou run erased it and tied the game at 59 at the under-12 media timeout.
LSU made 14 threes in this game, but the shots stopped dropping in the second half in which the team shot below 40%. Missouri, meanwhile, shot over 50% in the final 20 minutes, and it took its first lead of the game on a three-pointer with 1:37 to play.
Mizzou made its free-throws down the stretch, and LSU missed the chance to knock off one of the league’s stronger teams. [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] recorded a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double in his final game at the PMAC, while fifth-year senior [autotag]Parker Edwards[/autotag] made his first career start and scored six points in six minutes.
[autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] scored 17 and knocked down five threes, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. The Tigers will conclude the regular season on Saturday when they hit the road to take on Florida.
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