TUCSON, Ariz. — For 29 minutes, it was a game that no one expected. Not the oddsmakers, who had made LSU as much as a 22-point underdog against the 10th-ranked Arizona Wildcats, hungry for revenge after LSU’s 86-60 win last year in Baton Rouge, and stinging from two non-conference losses in which fans began to criticize the highly-ranked favorites.
Not the crowd of over 14,000 in the McKale Center which was loud and boisterous and determined to help support the Wildcats.
In the end, Arizona (6-3) would defeat LSU (6-1), 88-75, but not before causing many anxious moments as the Tigers took Arizona’s best shot several times before sucumbing as fatigue and the lack of personnel took its toll.
But the Tigers fall wouldn’t come until a national television audience watched a first-half shooting clinic by sophomore point guard Torris Bright.
Bright and the Tigers combined to allow Arizona just two first half leads, 10-8, at the 16:47 mark and 33-32 with 4:50 to play in the first 20 minutes. Other than that it was all Tigers, leading by as much as seven (22-15 and 30-23).
The Tigers were 8-of-12 from the three-point arc in the first half, with Torris Bright hitting 5-of-5 in a 17-point, four assist half. Ronald Dupree had 15 at the half, hitting 5-of-7 shots as LSU hit 16-of-28 field goal attempts (57.1 percent).
Arizona and the Tigers were getting to the line alot as 22 first half fouls were called by the three Pac-10 officials, a good indication of the problems ahead for the Tigers scholarship six in the second half as LSU went to the dressing room with a 47-44 advantage which had the crowd somewhat subdued at the intermission.
LSU got the first four points of the second half on two free throws by Brian Beshara and a layup by Lamont Roland to give LSU a 51-44 advantage with 19:27 to play. LSU continued to hang in as Arizona began to pound the ball inside getting old-fashioned three point plays around the goal as the fouls began to mount up.
Arizona tied the game at 56-56 with 11:52 to play, before Roland gave LSU its final lead at 58-56 with 11:27 to play. The Wildcats five seconds later tied the game on a run out layin by Gilbert Arenas. That was the start of 12-0 run which put Arizona up for good, 68-58, with 9:53 to play as Arizona hit three layups and two 3-pointers in the barrage.
LSU would get it as close as six, 75-69, with 6:30 to play on two Jermaine Williams free throws, but couldn’t whittle the rest down as Arizona built a 16-point lead before the final margin in a game in which the Tigers gained valuable experience against a hostile crowd and bigger, more physical team like the ones they will face in the SEC in just a few weeks.
In the second half, LSU would make just 8-of-25 field goals (32 percent) and was 0-of-6 from behind the arc.
Bright finished one point off his career high with 20 points as he tied the school record for three-point percentage in a game (minimum 4 attempts) going 5-for-5 from outside the three-point line.
Only Anthony Wilson vs. Tennessee on Feb. 7, 1987 and Jamie Brandon against Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 17, 1991, were 4-of-4 behind the three-point line. Bright is the first to go 5-of-5.
Dupree was the leading scorer for LSU with 21 points, while Brian Beshara scored 13 before fouling out, and Jermaine Williams off the bench added 11.
Arenas off the Wildcat bench led Arizona with 24 points, while Loren Woods added 17. Starters Jason Gardner had 16, Michael Wright 13 and Richard Jefferson 12. Eugene Edgerson, the Louisiana product, got the start, but played only eight minutes and failed to score.
The two teams were whistled for a combined 43 fouls (22 on LSU) and the two teams were 36-of-50 at the line.
The Tigers were to fly back to Baton Rouge on Thursday to prepare for Friday’s final pre-Christmas game with Nicholls State at the Maravich Assembly Center at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office on Thursday and on the internet at www.LSUsports.net. Tickets will be sold for $10 each beginning two hours prior to tipoff at the Maravich Assembly Center box office.
This will be LSU’s final home game until Jan. 3. The Tigers close out the 2000 portion of the schedule after Nicholls State on Dec. 28 in the New Orleans Arena against Oregon State in the Sugar Bowl Classic.