BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After the LSU men’s basketball team took its first lead with 21 seconds to play, Marquette (2-2) made two free throws and saw a three pointer by LSU’s Jalyn Patterson careen off the mark to give the Golden Eagles a 81-80 victory in the Legends Classic at Barclays Center.
LSU (3-1) returns to face NC State on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
LSU’s Ben Simmons had 21 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists to lead the way. He became the eighth LSU player since 1973-74 to record a 20/20 game, the 13th such game by a Tiger in that time span. Jordan Mickey was the last to have a 20/20 game, scoring 25 with 20 rebounds at Mississippi State on Jan. 13 of this year for the second 20/20 game of his career.
Simmons played all 40 minutes, was 6 of 14 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. Tim Quarterman made four three-pointers to contribute 20 points with six rebounds and four assists. Despite an 0-of-6 performance beyond the arc, freshman Antonio Blakeney had 14 points while fellow freshman Brandon Sampson finished with 10.
The Tigers shot 37 percent from the field (27 of 73), including 8 of 27 from three-point range.
After falling behind 10-0 in the first four minutes, LSU spend the next 35-plus minute battling to get its first advantage, 80-79, on a spectacular driving layup off the glass by Simmons. However, LSU was charged with a foul near the Marquette free throw line and Jujuan Johnson made both with 9.1 seconds left for the final margin.
Marquette’s leading scorer was Luke Fischer with 19 points, while Henry Ellenson, Duane Wilson and Johnson each had 16. The Golden Eagles overcame 22 turnovers by shooting 51.7 percent from the field (30 of 58). Marquette had a 46-40 rebounding advantage.
Marquette took advantage of an 0-for-5 start and four turnovers by LSU to lead 10-0 only four minutes into the contest. After a media timeout, LSU scored on three-straight trips to force a Marquette timeout and settle into the game.
Three pointers by Sampson and Quarterman tied the game at 12-12 with 12:50 left in the first half, however, Marquette answered with a three pointer by Duane Wilson. A dunk by Blakeney kept the Tigers within four, 22-18, but the Golden Eagles scored five unanswered to push its advantage back to 27-18.
After being held in check early on, Simmons began to assert himself. A coast-to-coast dunk by Simmons brought the Tigers within three, 27-24, and a three pointer by Quarterman tied the game at 34-34 just before halftime.
Marquette used a layup on its last possession of the half to lead at the break, 36-34.
A pair of free throws by Blakeney had the Tigers within a point with 15:28 to play when Marquette rolled off a 14-5 run to gain a 58-49 advantage and force an LSU timeout with 12:43 left.
Another coast-to-coast layup by Simmons kept the Tigers within six, 65-59, however, LSU committed its first two turnovers of the half and couldn’t seem to break a six-point deficit.
Marquette pushed its advantage back to nine, 75-66, on a three-pointer by Ellenson but the Tigers responded with a three pointer and a second-chance layup by Sampson to get within three, 75-72, at the 3:24 mark.
Marquette’s Ellenson and Sandy Cohen III both fouled out, creating an opportunity for the Tigers to get to the basket. A pair of free throws by Simmons kept LSU within three, and Josh Gray created a steal at mid-court to cut the Golden Eagles’ advantage to one, 78-77, with 1:24 to play.
Gray had a chance to tie the game with a pair of free throws but missed the back end and LSU trailed by one, 79-78, with 41.3 seconds left. The Tigers led for the first time on Simmons’ driving layup with 21 seconds to play, however, Gray was called for a blocking foul near the free throw line and Johnson made both free throws for the final margin.
A long three pointer by Patterson was off the mark and LSU wasn’t able to collect the rebound as time expired.
20 pts, 20 rbds, 5 assists- Major Conference Players, Last 20 Seasons Ben Simmons Blake Griffin Michael Sweetney Eddie Griffin Tim Duncan
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 24, 2015