ATHENS, Ga. — The struggling LSU men’s basketball team gave its best account in a Southeastern Conference game, but couldn’t pull off the victory, falling to Georgia, 68-63, Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum.
The loss drops LSU to 10-5 overall and 0-4 in the SEC, while Georgia runs its record to 11-7 and a first-place tying 4-1 in the SEC East. LSU stays on the road for the first part of the week, traveling to Starkville to play at Mississippi State on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. before returning to the friendly confines of the Maravich Assembly Center for a 4 p.m. game with suddenly resurgent Arkansas. There will be no television for the Mississippi State game, while the Arkansas game will be seen throughout the southeast on SEC-TV (Fox Sports Net).
The Tigers, despite playing with just seven players after football tight end Robert Royal (who had played the previous three games) did not make the trip while recovering from a minor injury, came out with a renewed enthusiasm and came out hitting early as Jermaine Williams hit his first trey of the season and Brian Beshara flashed down the lane for a bucket and a 5-0 lead, 50 seconds into the game.
But with Anthony Evans getting buckets early, the Bulldogs clawed back to take a 16-11 lead with 13:39 to go in the first half. But LSU was fighting hard to stay in the game and scored the next eight points on a Ronald Dupree three-ball, a Collis Temple back door cut and a lay in and free throw from Torris Bright to go up 19-16 with 12:11 to go in the opening 20 minutes.
The teams traded the lead a couple of times over the next few minutes before LSU took it back on two Williams free throws, 25-24, with 7:38 to go in the stanza. Bright would nail a three and Dupree would score to go up 30-24 at the 5:35 mark.
LSU ended the half in spectacular fashion as Dupree had back-to-back leaping dunks to go to the dressing room, up 37-29, as the Stegeman Coliseum crowd of 8, 647 was virtually silent except for the noise of the LSU Front Row Lunatics 2000 that made the trip to Athens to follow the Tigers.
The Tigers had the ball to open the second half and got one free throw from Temple to take its biggest lead of 38-29, 26 seconds into the half.
Georgia gradually began to whittle away at the LSU lead and would take the lead back for the first time in the second half on a Stephen Thomas bucket that gave the Bulldogs a 50-49 advantage with 10:39 to play.
LSU, which had gotten down by 20 or more in its previous two games only to come back, was fighting hard not to let this game get away as the playing minutes on the five starters continued to mount, while Coach Jim Harrick had three of his four subs play 13 minutes or more.
The Tigers battled back and got the lead three more times in the contest, the last on a Dupree free throw at the 4:44 mark to give LSU a 57-56 lead.
Shon Coleman made a Georgia bucket, Rashad Wright added a free throw and then Temple got two free throws of his own for LSU to tie the game at 59-59 with 3:21 to play, setting the stage for the finish.
Off a Georgia timeout, the Bulldogs got a three-point play when Evans would score from the low block and make an ensuing free throw to give Georgia what would prove to be the lead for good, 62-59, with 2:32 to play. Erza Williams would make two free throws to increase the Georgia lead to five, 64-59, with 1:53 to play.
Bright would hit two free throws and two missed Georgia free throws gave Temple a chance to scoring on a driving hook to cut the Georgia lead to 64-63, with 1:24 to go.
Georgia came down and Williams missed a shot and LSU rebounded with a chance to go ahead, but LSU turned the ball over and Williams redeemed himself with the steal and the score to make it 66-63 with 38 seconds.
LSU took a time out to set up a final tying chance and after working the ball around, Brian Beshara’s three was off the mark and Georgia got a run out for the final two points for the final margin.
Dupree, who entered the day tied for the lead in scoring in the SEC at 18.6 points per game and first in rebounds at 9.9, finished just under those numbers with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Bright tied him in the scoring category with 18 points and Temple dropped in 14 points. The five starters played all but 18 minutes, as Charlie Thompson and Jason Wilson off the LSU bench played nine each.
Evans was the big scorer for the day for the Bulldogs, hitting 8-of-10 field goal attempts and 5-of-6 free throws in a 21-point, 7-rebound effort. Ezra Williams added 10.
LSU hit 40.4 percent for the game from the field, but only 26.3 percent (5-of-19) in the second half. LSU was 20-of-28 at the free throw line (71.4 percent). Georgia hit 47.2 percent for the game, 52 percent (13-of-25) in the second half. The Bulldogs were 13-of-19 from the free throw line in the second half.
Georgia, thanks to a big second half, did out rebound LSU, 32-30, for the contest. LSU had an 18-12 rebound margin at intermission.
Tickets for the LSU-Arkansas game this Saturday are available at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office and at www.LSUsports.net.