With LSU and Louisiana Tech tied at 62 with just over two minutes to go, Ja’vonte Smart threw up a three-pointer from the left wing.
Three bounces later, the freshman’s prayer was answered, the ball falling through the net courtesy of an unseen hand.
“That was (Wayde) Sims was looking down,” said head coach Will Wade. “Those three bounces. He put that one in the basket for us.”
It’s a message Wade delivered to the team after LSU’s 74-67 win over Louisiana Tech Friday night, improving the Tigers to 4-0 for the first time since 2012-13.
But Smart, who finished with a career-high 16 points, knew as soon as it left his hands that Sims – a two-year letterwinner who was killed in September before what would have been his junior season at LSU – would take care of the rest.
“I knew, my brother Wayde, I knew he got me,” said Smart. “That’s all I was thinking.”
The shot gave LSU a lead it would not surrender, the turning point in a tight, physical contest against a Louisiana Tech win who already claimed a road win at Wichita State this season.
To knock off the Bulldogs, LSU needed Sims’ help, plus the toughness of Smart and senior Daryl Edwards.
Edwards entered the game with just 4 points in LSU’s first three games, a number he doubled in the first half alone Friday on his way to 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench. The senior, sporting a face mask over a broken nose, said he’ll keep the new gear for the foreseeable future.
“I don’t even care if it heals,” he joked. “I’m wearing it the rest of the year.”
As LSU’s short-handed offense struggled to find its rhythm early – freshman Naz Reid played just 10 minutes with an ankle injury – Edwards sparked the attack with several drives and fancy-footworked finishes.
“Everyone was shooting, but he just grabbed the ball and ripped through, drew fouls,” said Tremont Waters, who finished with 14 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. “That opened our offense up, so everyone was able to shoot their shot. Just getting in the paint helped us a lot. Him being a senior guy, he took that first step, and we followed his lead.”
Waters is no stranger to the face mask. He wore his in the SEC Tournament last season, earning All-Tournament honors, before wearing it in the NIT, too.
“I told him that the mask, it’s like a different identity,” Waters asid. “It’s like a super mask. I want him to wear it the rest of the season. He doesn’t need it, but it gives this sense of security. You know you’re going to play well.”
Wade told the media Thursday he expected Edwards, who battled an injury this preseason, to break out of his scoring slump. That’s exactly what happened on Friday, as the senior matched the fourth-highest scoring output of his career.
“I thought our two seniors really, really helped us,” Wade said, noting Kavell Bigby-Williams, who had 5 points, 6 rebounds (3 offensive), 3 blocks, and 2 steals, plus a critical putback in the final minute to seal the win. “Kavell’s tip-in, I thought he played great. I thought Daryl played his best game, certainly this year and maybe since he’s been here.
“I knew we were going to need guys to step up. I knew Naz was banged up. Just didn’t know how much he could do today. I knew we needed some other guys to step up and carry some of that slack. I thought Daryl was well positioned to do that, and he did.”
Ironically, it was Bigby-Williams who broke Edwards’ nose with an elbow in practice. The injury did nothing to faze Edwards, even with the physical nature of the game. The confidence his head coach instilled in him with positive feedback didn’t hurt, either.
“That’s my type of game,” Edwards said. “Grind it out, high pressure moments. For some reason, I feel like I thrive in those kind of moments. Coach having my backs, telling y’all good things in the media even when I wasn’t playing good, that goes a long way.”
It’s also the sort of game Smart thrives in. The freshman led the team with nine second half points, finishing the night 7-of-10 from the floor.
For the season, Smart has an effective field goal percentage of 70 percent.
“I’m an energy guy,” Smart said. “I like to bring energy. That’s my swagger. I like that. That just makes me play better.”
Wade called the freshman a “paint-eater” after the game.
“He gets in that paint, drives the ball, drives the ball, drives the ball,” Wade said. “He played a really, really good floor game.”
He also hit the biggest shot of the game. After six straight misses from 3 in the second half, number seven went through, bringing a win home with it.
Give the assist to Wayde Sims.
“You don’t get many rolls like that,” said Wade.