BATON R0UGE — LSU started slowly, but finished with a enough of a flurry to win a third straight game for the first time this season and for the second straight time at home with a 71-64 win over Georgia Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The win upped LSU’s record to 12-16 and the Tigers are now 5-9 in the SEC Western Division. LSU is now tied for third with Ole Miss, one game ahead of both Auburn and Alabama. The Tigers play host to Alabama on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the final home game of the season. It was LSU’s first three-game winning streak in SEC play in almost two seasons.
Georgia drops further into sixth place in the SEC Eastern Division at 12-15 and 3-11.
Marcus Thornton scored 36 points and had 10 rebounds to lead LSU as he becomes the first SEC player to score 30 twice in a season since 1996 by Ronnie Henderson. Anthony Randolph hit for 19 points and Chris Johnson had 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Billy Humphrey had a big game for Georgia, scoring 26 points with Terrance Woodbury getting 11 and Jeremy Price 10.
Thornton broke a 59-59 tie with a tip in with 3:31 remaining. After a steal by Randolph, Thornton made two foul shots to extend LSU’s advantage to four points at 63-59. Georgia reduced the deficit to a single point at 65-64 when Humphrey sank a pair of free throws with 1:20 remaining. But Randolph gave the Tigers a two-possession lead by converting a three-point play with 59 seconds left.
LSU started extremely tight, a tendency that has plagued them all through the SEC home season. Humphrey hit three three-pointers in the first eight minutes to give Georgia a 19-6 advantage and the lead twice went to 16 points, first at 24-8 on three pointer by Tony Brewer and against at 29-13 at the 8:12 mark on a trey by Woodbury.
From there, LSU outscored Georgia, 16-4 the remainder of the half to go to the dressing room down just 34-31.
In the second half, the score was tied four times and the lead changed hands 10 times as LSU Interim Coach Butch Pierre won his fourth game in seven starts as the LSU head coach.
Georgia was hot early hitting 6-of-9 treys in the first half and 43.8 percent overall in the first 20 minutes, while the Tigers were 11-of-34 for 32.4 and 37.5 percent from the arc. LSU shot 48 percent overall in the second half while Georgia cooled down to just 1-of-8 from the arc. For the game, Georgia shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) ahead of LSU’s 39.3 percent (24-of-61). LSU out rebounded Georgia, 40-36 and had double figure blocks with 11.
LSU INTERIM HEAD COACH BUTCH PIERRE QUOTES
Opening statement…
“We all know that (Terrance) Woodbury, (Billy) Humphrey and (Sundiata) Gaines are experienced guards. When you give Humphrey that much space he is going to make shots. They hit a lot of early threes and that put us back on our heels because we expected them to throw it inside with their size. We dug ourselves in a hole early. I want to compliment our players on how hard they played, how they stuck with the game plan, executed and got some stops. Their last 14 possessions they only scored twice. Defensively, we had a number of stops and were able to get some baskets off of them. We made it a manageable game by halftime.
“I thought Marcus (Thornton) was unbelievable. Sometimes when Marcus is shooting like that, things can get scattered. The guys were a little anxious out there trying to win the game. During timeouts when we were calling set plays, our execution wasn’t quite there as it has been in the past. We took a few quick shots and missed some easy baskets around the goal to start the game. It was a hard-fought battle and we made our free throws when we needed to.”
On the team being on a three-game win streak…
“We have been more consistent and it all starts at practice with the preparation ? mentally and physically. Having the individual meetings with the guys and breaking down tape to show them the difference between positive and negative plays. It doesn’t always start with how to make a basket – it is all about trying to win the game. We call it championship play. We are able to make plays not just baskets. Whether it is a pass, screen, blocking your man or helping on the ball screen – it is all about the little things.”
On G Terry Martin‘s limited playing time…
“It affected our rotation in the first half. I just didn’t think he was into the game mentally. The team is first and I think he understood that. He was a little upset. I didn’t play him in the second half because I didn’t think he was mentally ready to go in. That is all about the process of winning. We are improving because each and every one of them understands their roles better. Terry wasn’t sick or injured.”
Quotes from LSU Players
On the defensive changes in the second half …
“We just tried to get after their perimeter players because they were hitting a lot of jump shots in the beginning of the game. The guards did a great job of that and Bo Spencer came off the bench and defended well for us.”
On Georgia G Sundiata Gaines’ technical foul …
“Both Garrett Temple and Alex Farrer were showing great hustle down on the floor. It got a little heated and he just got up and I didn’t think it was that serious. It was a big loss for them. He is one of the best point guards in the league right now. That is a big scoring option for them that was lost.”
On the three-point conversion drive late in the second half…
“I was trying to be aggressive and draw a foul to get to the line because it was a critical time in the game. We just needed to get a bucket.”
On the technical foul by Georgia G Sundiata Gaines…
“It was one of those things because everything is so intense and happened so fast. We were just fighting for a loose ball. We were kind of tugging at it, and maybe he (Gaines) thought it was little more serious than it actually was. He kind of threw a swinging elbow and it stunned me. At the same time, to me, it is not that big of a deal. He hurt himself and his team and he might have cost themselves the game. It really should not get anymore press than Marcus scoring 36 points which is amazing in itself.”
On the team’s effort during the last three games…
“We are putting it together. If someone like Chris (Johnson) or myself does not have a great game, then someone like Marcus (Thornton) comes out and has 36 points. It is just a testament to how good he is. The team is gelling. It was a team effort – definitely.”
On his 36-point performance…
“I knew the past few games I have been up and down. So I told myself that I had to come out and play good today in order for us to win. Not just the scoring, but the other things as well. I am just happy that we got the win. We have a lot of confidence built up where we feel we can win the rest of these games. The coaches told us that in our loss at Arkansas. We just wanted to play hard in front of our fans and give them something to cheer about.”
GEORGIA HEAD COACH DENNIS FELTON QUOTES
On the ejection of G Sundiata Gaines…
“I can’t comment on officiating. I can’t even comment on commenting on officiating.”
On the impact of G Sundiata Gaines leaving the game with a technical foul….
“Well it impacted the game, I mean we ended the game with five guys. But, our guys that remained in the game did a good job of holding it together and playing it right down to the end.”
On LSU’s G Marcus Thornton…
“He scored over half of their points, and he is very explosive in the paint. He did a lot more than just score. We wish we could have slowed him down more.”
On losing the lead in the first half…
“They (LSU) got the lead through the normal course of competing. They fought to get back in the game much like we fought to get the 16-point lead to start the game.”
Statement from game official Tom Eades regarding the ejection of Georgia’s Sundiata Gaines:
“Two kids were tied up for the loose ball and I saw the player from Georgia (Sundiata Gaines) come around with a forearm to the head of the player from LSU (Alex Farrer). I blew the whistle and called a technical foul.
“We went to the monitor for two reasons: to see if the LSU player did anything to make the player from Georgia do what he did and to verify what I saw the Georgia player do.
“We looked at two angles. We were able to verify that the Georgia player threw a forearm into the head of the player from LSU and anytime a forearm goes to the head, it is a flagrant foul.