Defensive Aggression Fuels LSU to 76-68 SEC Tournament Win Over Missouri

Purple and gold get great second half effort from Efton Reid, force 24 turnovers in blowout win to set up Arkansas rematch

LSU came out aggressive and jumped on Missouri early to cruise to a 76-68 win in the SEC Tournament.

The No. 5 seeded LSU came out on both ends of the floor executing the gameplan to perfection, particularly on the defensive end by forcing 15 Missouri turnovers in the first half. This is a Missouri team without a tremendous lead ball handler and LSU made sure to take advantage early by applying pressure, forcing three shot clock violations and playing with complete control to help build out a 32-9 lead. 

When this team is at its best, its defense will help lead to offense and that certainly was the case in helping LSU get in such a great rhythm early. LSU scored 21 points off 15 Missouri turnovers in the first half and forced 24 turnovers for the game, leading to 29 second chance points. 

The purple and gold did get a bit sloppy with the ball on their end as well, something Will Wade said the team needed to get corrected at the halftime break and would be a little better at after building a large lead.

Offensively LSU played about as well rounded as you could hope with the team's biggest stars showing out as a result. Darius Days, Tari Eason and Xavier Pinson all had moments of brilliance as the veteran trio combined to score 46 of LSU's 76 total points on the afternoon.

"I feel like we executed most everything that coach said," Days said. 

Pinson was in complete control early in the game, limiting his turnovers and hitting open shots while Eason was extremely aggressive on the offensive end, finishing with a game high 19 points. The ball movement was great as LSU assisted on nine of 13 makes in the first half and 18 total assists for the game. 

LSU did get a little trigger happy from three but overall shot from the perimeter at a very respectable percentage and very few were bad looks. Missouri would close the first half on a 14-7 run of its own in the first half to cut a once 25 point lead to 16 at the break.

That Missouri energy would carry into the start of the second half before LSU finally started to regain its energy and aggression on both ends. Missouri would get the LSU lead down to 10 before the Efton Reid show took over.

Everyone who follows the program knows about the struggles Reid has had since the start of conference play, most notably his foul struggles. But the 7-foot-1 center made all of the right plays as the catalyst of a 14-1 run that gave the purple and gold a 24 point lead and cruise the rest of the way. 

Reid went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field with 12 points and a pair of blocks, scoring 10 of his points in the second half to lead the LSU charge. If the Tigers can get that level of consistency out of their freshman big man, it adds another layer of difficulty to facing this group in the postseason. 

"I really focused on the things I needed to do in this game, trying to not foul early on and not worried about points or rebounds but winning every possession," Reid said. 

AN EFTON OF BUCKETS. 😤

10 points in the second half (5-5 FG) pic.twitter.com/rPmiI0Yaux

— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) March 10, 2022

"We turned the ball over way too much, we gotta get that corrected," Wade said. "I thought we had five guys in double figures which was really good and we're happy to get the win.

LSU will now have 24 hours to prepare for a third matchup with the No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday afternoon around 1:30 p.m.