BATON ROUGE — If the LSU men’s basketball team had any aspirations of defeating the eighth-ranked Florda Gators on Tuesday night at the Maravich Assembly Center, they would have to execute a nearly perfect game. In addition, LSU would have to force the Gators to make mistakes.
LSU (11-11, 1-10) knew it would have to compete and execute for 40 minutes, but what they didn’t count on was having to play an extra five minutes of overtime. Despite the Tigers’ most impressive outing of the season, they could not hold the Gators in check through OT, dropping their sixth straight SEC game, 81-74, in front of a national television audience.
Teddy Dupay exploded for 11 of his 17 points in the extra period, and Udonis Haslem and Brett Nelson led the Gators with 18 points apiece to help lift Florida over LSU.
Florida (17-5, 7-4) entered the contest as the SEC leader in field goal percentage and three-point percentage and ranked second in the conference in the assist-to-turnover ratio.
Through the first 20 minutes, LSU held Florida to just 9-of-23 shooting from the field and 6-of-16 from behind the three-point line. LSU also forced 14 turnovers and did not allow the Gators to record an offensive rebound through the entire regular period.
But the Tigers could not keep the Gators at bay in overtime. Florida shot an impressive 5-of-6 from the floor including a pair of three pointers and a 7-of-8 performance from the free-throw line in the extra period.
LSU was led by sophomore Ronald Dupree who registered his 11th double-double of the season. The Tigers saw four starters in double figures and out-rebounded the Gators, 38-28. But a strong defensive effort from Florida held LSU to just 3-of-12 shooting from the three-point line in the final 25 minutes.
“I’ve got to tell you, I was proud of our team, and I was proud of our team’s effort,” LSU head coach John Brady said. “I thought it was good enough to win the game. Unfortunately we didn’t . With our team, in some critical moments of the game we fouled a couple of time when we shouldn’t, and we just weren’t good enough to win it.”
LSU held the lead for the majority of the game. The Gators enjoyed just one first half lead at the 14:26 mark after a three by Nelson. Florida tied the game with 9:07 to play in the second period, 48-48, after a dunk by Haslem but could not regain the lead.
LSU answered with a 6-0 run to give the Tigers a 54-48 lead and forcing the Gators to call a timeout with 7:12 to play. Florida continued to chip away at the lead. After a bucket and a free-throw on back-to-back possessions by Haslem cut the lead to one, the Gators’ Major Parker went to the free-throw line and tied the game, 57-57, with less than a minute to play in regulation.
With 22.4 seconds on the clock, LSU’s Torris Bright pulled up over Teddy Dupay for what appeared to be the game-winning three. Bright finished with 11 points and six assists.
But Dupay would have his revenge. The junior drove and drew a Jermaine Williams foul capping a three-point play and tying the game at 60-60.
The Tigers would get another shot. On the ensuing possession, Bright drove and dished to reserve Tiger Jason Wilson who was fouled and went to the line with a chance to win it. He hit both giving LSU a 62-60 lead.
On the in-bound pass, however, an off the ball foul on Wilson sent Haslem to the line. The Gators knotted the contest for the fifth time and sent the game in overtime.
Dupay gave Florida just its second lead of the game with a three to open the overtime period, and Nelson extended that lead with a two to give the Gators a 67-62 advantage in just 33 seconds.
Williams exploded for LSU’s next five points and added a block to a Nelson drive to pull the game within two, 71-69. Williams finished with 12 points and seven boards.
The closest LSU would get was after a three by Bright cut the Gator lead, 75-74. But a three by Dupay and a 3-for-4 effort from the free throw line down the stretch by the Gators clinched the Florida victory.
Next, the Tigers travel to Arkansas for a noon showdown with the Razorbacks of Jefferson Pilot Sports.