BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s basketball team struggled from the start and lost their third-straight game, 84-58, to Mississippi State Wednesday night in Starkville, Miss.
LSU (17-7, 7-6 SEC) fell behind early, allowing the 7th-ranked Bulldogs to jump out to a 15-3 lead in the game’s first three minutes. Mississippi State (22-2, 11-2 SEC) didn’t allow the Tigers to get back within one possession, and led by as many as 17 in the first half before taking a 46-30 lead into the locker room.
The second half was not much different, as the Bulldogs controlled the tempo and the game, increasing their lead to 25 points, 63-38 at the 12:29 mark.
The closest the Tigers would come in the second half was within 14, 46-32, as forward Jaime Lloreda put back an Antonio Hudson missed 3-pointer for the first points of the second half. The Tigers trailed by as many as 25 in the second half, until a late three by Bulldog guard Dennis Buse made the deficit 26 at the game’s end.
LSU struggled from the field again, hitting on just 19-of-54 shots for an anemic 35.2 percent. Forward Ross Neltner was the only Tiger to shoot greater than 45 percent, and that was 1-for-1 with two points in the game. The Tigers actually shot better from the three-point line (37.5%) than from the field.
The Tigers were once again led in scoring by guard Darrel Mitchell, who put up 14 points. Hudson and fellow guard Tack Minor added 12 and 13 points, respectively.
Lloreda, the senior forward from Colon, Panama, returned to the court and contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season and 23rd of his career. However, fellow forward Brandon Bass struggled offensively and finished with just seven points.
This proved to be the key point in the game. State dominated the Tigers down low, outscoring them 46 to 18 in the paint. The Bulldogs also shot a blistering 65.5 percent in the first half and 56.1 percent for the game.
Mississippi State has now clinched the SEC’s Western Division title for the second-straight year, as the Tigers look to regroup and try to hold-off Alabama, the third-ranked team in the SEC West.
LSU returns to the hardwood this Sunday, February 29, at 3:00 p.m. when another top-team, the Kentucky Wildcats, invades the Maravich Center. Tickets are on sale in the LSU Athletics Department Ticket Office, or by phone at 225-578-2184. Fans are encouraged to wear gold to help this CBS nationally-televised game, as well as honor former men’s basketball head coach, Dale Brown.