By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, TIGER RAG STAFF Reporter
Tonie Morgan hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining, lifting No. 11 Kentucky to an 80-78 victory over No. 5 LSU on Thursday night in the Tigers’ Southeastern Conference opener at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Junior guard Mikaylah Williams had given LSU the lead moments earlier by sinking all three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with 18.5 seconds to play. But on Kentucky’s final possession, Morgan stepped back into a 3-point shot on the left wing and drilled it in front of LSU forward Amiya Joyner.
Williams led LSU (14-1, 0-1 SEC) with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists, shooting 9-of-17 from the field. Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson added 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while senior forward Amiya Joyner and sophomore guard Jada Richard each scored 14. The Tigers shot 49.2 percent (30 of 61) but managed only four offensive rebounds against Kentucky’s nation-best defensive effort.
Kentucky (14-1, 1-0 SEC) finished with a 16-board edge on the glass, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds that yielded 18 second-chance points. The Wildcats shot 43 percent from the field and held LSU’s top-ranked scoring offense just short of its usual output.
LSU jumped out to a 17-5 advantage early, with Williams scoring the Tigers’ first 10 points. Kentucky responded with a 13-0 run to seize its first lead before the end of the opening quarter. After trading buckets, Richard beat the first-quarter buzzer with a floater to put LSU up 23-22.
The Wildcats regained control early in the second quarter, going up 30-25, but LSU answered with a 9-0 spurt to lead 34-30. The teams traded blows the rest of the half and went into the locker room tied at 41. Johnson and Williams combined for 14 points in the third quarter, and LSU outscored Kentucky 16-10 over the final four minutes to take a 65-60 lead into the fourth.
LSU dropped its sixth straight game against an SEC opponent ranked in the top 12 of the AP poll, and it fell to 29-3 all-time at home against league foes. Next up for the Tigers is a Sunday trip to Nashville to face No. 12 Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium (4 p.m. CT).
Be the first to comment