No. 21 LSU Dominates Down the Stretch in 65-60 Win Over No. 16 Kentucky

Tigers 19-2 stretch in the second half helps get Tigers back to .500 in SEC play

Spurtability isn't really a word but its something this LSU team has and on Tuesday night the Tigers put on a clinic down the stretch, beating No. 16 Kentucky in the PMAC 65-60.

Six minute games have been a preaching point for Will Wade and his tenure as LSU's coach and this team has largely been a very good team in the final six minutes of tightly contested games. After failing in a similar situation five days ago against Auburn, LSU was in another very good spot to pick up a tremendous SEC win, up 54-52 with six minutes to go. 

Grasping a two point lead, it was a 19-2 stretch in the middle of the second half that really helped LSU secure this one. The play of sophomore guard Eric Gaines really stood out down the stretch as he hit two killer threes to blow the roof off the PMAC and was all over Kentucky on defense. 

"Big time players make step up in big time moments in big time games. That's what Eric Gaines did tonight." Tari Eason said. 

LSU would allow Kentucky to get back into the game late but emphatic dunks from Eason and Xavier Pinson in the final 10 seconds capped the game off in exhilarating fashion.

"Chaos," Pinson said of the finish.  

LSU came out poised offensively and was able to grab the PMAC crowd right from the tip with its energy on defense. Having freshman Brandon Murray back in the rotation certainly helped in that regard, with fellow freshman Alex Fudge also providing a huge spark off the bench. 

Six turnovers in a three minute span for the LSU offense allowed what was a well orchestrated start to the game turn into sloppy play and let Kentucky cut a six point deficit into a two point advantage. LSU would commit nine first half turnovers that Kentucky would turn into 11 points, keeping an otherwise controlling start to the game lead to just a 35-30 advantage for the home team. 

The other angle that kept the Wildcats in the game was LSU's foul trouble in the first half. LSU committed 11 fouls, including three by big man Efton Reid that put Kentucky in the bonus with more than nine minutes left in the first 20 minutes. 

Coming out of the break, the last thing LSU wanted was to come out slow offensively but the Tigers went the first three minutes without a point and Kentucky took advantage. The Wildcats opened with back-to-back-to back threes to immediately go on a 14-2 run to seize control 47-39.

LSU came out flat on offense and allowed three point sniper Kellan Grady to get red hot on busted defensive coverages. Grady knocked down four triples in the second half to pace Kentucky, leaving the Tigers with an uphill climb. 

The Wildcats would lead by as many as nine before the Tigers started making their second half push. Murray, Gaines and Darius Days would be the catalyst behind a mini-run that cut the lead to three before both teams would go four minutes without a field goal. 

LSU would then make its pounce down the stretch to get back to .500 with another one of its extended runs.

It was a complete team effort down the stretch and was another building block this team can use with the heart of SEC play still to go. The Tigers host top 25 Tennessee on Saturday to close out the week.

"I thought the roof was gonna come off at the end when we dunked that thing," Wade said. "The crowd was great, students were great so it was a fun night so hopefully we can keep building and have another really good crowd on Saturday.