No. 25 LSU Overcomes Sloppy Start to Get Back in the Win Column, Defeat Missouri 82-78

LSU gets clutch play from Smart, Mays and Days to close out Missouri

With new LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini watching from the media section, LSU basketball was able to shrug off a sluggish start and get clutch play from some of its biggest stars down the stretch to squeak out an 82-78 win over Missouri.

The win snaps a two game conference losing streak for LSU (18-6, 9-2) as all five starters scored the entirety of the team's 82 points Tuesday evening. 

It was another win for LSU defined by the Tigers ability to get to the free throw line as they went 29-for-34 at the charity stripe, negating another poor effort from the three-point line (3-for-12).

“They’re one of the few teams, in my opinion, that if the three ball is falling or not it’s really doesn’t matter because they can get to the free-throw line," Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. 

Sophomore Javonte Smart took over for LSU down the stretch, showing a glimpse of the freshman that scored 29 on Tennessee in 2019 with a phenomenal second-half performance. Over a three minute stretch,  Smart scored nine of LSU's 11 points to keep LSU within striking distance at 69-67 with 6:41 remaining.

“I thought he did a really good job in the second half. I thought (Darius) Days did a great job on the glass in the second half," coach Will Wade said. "When Javonte’s aggressive and getting downhill and making those floaters, he’s very, very good.”

“I kind of came out slow today. Skylar Mays, sitting right over there, told me to get going and that the team needs my energy," Smart said. "I tried to give that and get the victory.”

Mays and sophomore Darius Days closed the game out as the two combined to score 11 of the Tigers final 13 points, finishing with 23 and 20 points respectively. 

The first half was an eyesore for pretty much every LSU fan watching as the Tigers were completely out of sync on offense and watched Missouri drill 7-of-13 three-pointers to lead by as many as 12 in the opening frame. 

LSU's defense picked up in the second half as the Tigers got timely stops in the final 20 minutes, holding Missouri to just 2-for-8 from beyond-the-arc in the process.

“I just thought our defensive energy was low. I thought they played harder than we did in the first half," Wade said. "I thought we were able to turn it on in the second half which is not easy to do, but yeah, I thought our energy was a little bit low.”

A 17-for-20 performance at the free throw line was the primary reason LSU was able to stay in the game as a 4-for-16 start from the field and 0-for-9 first half start from three-point range left the offense in shambles much of the first 20 minutes. An 8-2 run capped off by a beautiful passing exhibition from LSU that led to a Watford buzzer-beating layup salvaged a difficult offensive first half.

The run cut a double-digit deficit to a much more manageable six points at the half and gave the offense a little juice as LSU closed by making six of its last seven field goals.

“We just needed to find a way to win at the end of the day. Missouri is always a tough matchup for us as physical as they are,” Wade said. “They make you play a lot of one-on-one. We just needed to find a way to win, and at the end of the day that’s what we did.”

Up next for LSU is a Saturday matchup with Alabama, the second time it's faced the Crimson Tide this season after a 90-76 home win two weeks ago. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN2.