AUBURN, Ala. — The LSU men’s basketball team took another step toward earning a postseason tournament bid by beating Auburn on the road, 59-54, on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, LSU heads to Atlanta for the SEC tournament as the Western Division’s fourth seed and will play the fifth seed out of the Eastern Division, Tennessee.
The Tigers were led by the backcourt duo of Antonio Hudson and Torris Bright. Hudson scored 16 points and Bright shot 3-of-4 from three-point range while scoring 15 points.
LSU played exceptional defense holding Auburn to 46.7 percent shooting from the field.
“The last three games have been some of the best defensive games that I have coached at LSU,” said head coach John Brady. “This team puts out a great effort, and the defense won the game for us. We were held to 34 percent shooting on the road in the league and still won the game. That is a mark of great defense.”
LSU led 12-11 with 13:28 remaining in the first half before going on a blazing 18-3 run highlighted by three-pointers by Hudson and Bright. Hudson’s lay-up with 3:56 left in the first half capped the run giving LSU a 30-14 lead.
“We showed we were pumped up going on a big run early in the first half and it really helped us defensively, said LSU center Brad Bridgewater. We played aggressive on defense and forced them to make mistakes early.”
LSU led 34-20 at halftime. It was only the second time this season that LSU led at halftime of an SEC game.
LSU steadily maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half. With 4:25 remaining in the game, Auburn’s Marquis Daniels sank a jump shot and cut the LSU lead to five points at 53-48.
Auburn got as close as four points at 55-51 with 33 seconds left in the game. Charlie Thompson sealed the deal making 4-of-4 free throws late in the game and LSU held on for second SEC road victory of the season.
LSU freshmen guard Hudson continues to step up for the Tigers. His 16 points, five rebounds and solid defense put the Tigers over the top against Auburn.
“Antonio Hudson showed that he belongs in this league. He came into this season playing a little casual on defense. But, he has responded well which is why his minutes have gone up lately,” said Brady.