The second-half run falls short for the Tigers
It was another disappointing for Will Wade’s group today.
When it looked like LSU was getting healthier with a chance to break out of its slump, LSU couldn’t secure a win against TCU to drop to 16-5 on the year.
The first 15 minutes of the game were back and forth, with LSU getting out to a 24-23 lead. After that, TCU went on a run to close out the half that gave the Horned Frogs a 38-29 lead. That run extended into the second half when TCU’s Chuck O’Bannon got hot from three. That put LSU down 16 and gave TCU its largest lead of the day.
LSU was able to go on a 15-2 run and cut the TCU lead to three with 11:00 to go.
TCU found their footing and a foul behind the 3-point line gave the Horned Frogs a few free throws to make it 65-56.
The refs blew the whistle a lot in this game, allowing both teams to reach the bonus fairly early. Darius Days and Eric Gaines both found themselves in foul trouble down the stretch.
The amount of free-throw opportunities LSU handed TCU in the second half is what allowed the Horned Frogs to hold off an LSU comeback.
Tari Eason led the Tigers in points, scoring 16. Days and Gaines added 14 apiece.
For TCU, it was O’Bannon, as well as Mike Miles Jr, who shared the game-high, each scoring 19.
A significant storyline today was the return of Xavier Pinson, though he was still on a minutes limit.
LSU has not looked the same since Pinson left the win over Tennessee earlier this month. LSU has been waiting for his return, hoping he would give a boost to the offense.
He only played seven minutes today. Not enough time to gauge if getting Pinson back is really the magic ingredient for a struggling LSU team.
Days, also returning from injury, only shot 5-14 from the field, but did earn his 20th career double-double.
LSU has now lost four of five. Over the last few weeks, LSU’s offensive struggles have come to the forefront after the defense covered them up the first couple of months of the season.
There are too many instances where LSU isn’t able to finish inside. When pressured, their guards aren’t decisive enough with the ball. There’s no knock-down shooter either that Will Wade can rely on when they need to go on a run.
When LSU isn’t creating points in transition, the offense is almost non-existent. Brandon Murray has offered promise the last couple of weeks, but he’s just a freshman who isn’t ready to be the scorer Cam Thomas was last year.
LSU, once again, showed a fight today after erasing a large deficit. The issue is getting into that deficit in the first place. LSU needs to shoot better out of the gate and now rely on 10-0 runs happening every second half.
Next up, LSU will host Ole Miss on Tuesday as they try to get back on track.
