LSU Gets it Done Down The Stretch in Exhilarating 66-57 Win Over Louisiana Tech
It's not often this season where LSU has had to claw its way to a win with sublime execution down the stretch. But on Saturday the Tigers played a near flawless final six minutes to pull off a crucial 66-57 come from behind win over Louisiana Tech.
The story of the game were those final six minutes as LSU (11-0), who at one point trailed by as many as 11 in the first half of play, finished the game on a 14-2 run to seal the deal. This team has had a knack for going on long runs to put teams away and the final run down the stretch against the Bulldogs was one of the more impressive of the season.
Transfer forward Tari Eason led the charge during that final stretch, scoring 10 straight for the Tigers with the game tied at 55-55 to give LSU a commanding 64-57 lead with 33 seconds to play. A transition layup, three pointer, layup and an emphatic dunk to cap it all off was how Eason propelled the offense down the stretch with elite shotmaking ability.
It was a final stretch that not many could pull off as Eason dropped 14 of his team high 21 points in the second half to go along with eight rebounds. Darius Days would tack on 13 points with 18 rebounds while Xavier Pinson would add 10 more for the Tigers.
This was a game that started out pretty ugly for the purple and gold as the team shot under 30% to go along with seven turnovers and just wasn't able to get into a rhythm. While coach Will Wade has to be happy with what his team has been able to do out of halftime, come SEC play slow starts like the one against LA Tech will be extremely hard to overcome.
Once again what helped get the Tigers back into the game was second half defense as the Bulldogs shot just 7-of-27 from the floor in the final 20 minutes while also committing 10 turnovers which led to 13 LSU points.
Wade and this team know how just big a win this was for the program, to go on the road against an NCAA Tournament caliber team and come away with a win in this fashion.
