3/7/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


      The Tigers would host Georgia, needing to rebound from their ugly loss at Arkansas on Wednesday with the SEC Tournament looming, and rebound they did. LSU would honor their seniors, Marlon Taylor, Marshall Graves, Skylar Mays, and the late Wayde Sims with their best performance of the season, blasting the Bulldogs 94-64.         
      LSU would control the opening tip and take it right to the basket as Emmitt Williams would dunk the ball for a quick 2-0 lead.  
      With the game tied at 4-4 at the 17:03 mark, Javonte Smart would make a jumper and draw a foul. Smart would convert the charity shot. Seconds later, Courtese Cooper would bank a shot in off the glass to increase the Tigers' lead to 9-4. 
      Georgia would battle back, as Rayshaun Hammonds would make a layup to tie the game at 14-14, with 12:23 left in the half.
      Over the next six minutes, LSU would begin to pull away, as the Tigers would go on a 16-9 run to make the score, 30-21 with 5:55 left on the clock. After a Bulldogs' basket, LSU would then run another nine straight on Georgia to up their lead to 39-23 at the 3:52 mark. 
      Both teams would then begin to trade baskets, as Georgia would outscore LSU, 11-10 over the final three minutes of the half. LSU would take a 49-34 lead into the locker room at the end of the first half. Skylar Mays would lead the Tigers in scoring at the half with 15 points. Marlon Taylor would add nine.. LSU had a solid first half shooting as a team, going 18-28 from the floor for 64.3%, and 6-10 from three point land for 60%. 
      Georgia would score the first basket of the second half, but would be unable to cut into the LSU lead, as the Tigers would keep up their high level of intensity and aggressive play. 
      With 16:03 on the clock, Emmitt Williams would make a three pointer to put the Tigers up 57-41.  Mays would then gather in a defensive rebound and Marlon Taylor would end the fast break with a monster dunk, 59-41 Tigers. Seconds later, Taylor would score again on a offensive rebound put back, to increase LSU's lead to 20. After a Georgia basket, Taylor would stay hot, scoring seven straight, as he would bang a three pointer with 13:45 left putting the Tigers up, 64-43 causing the Bulldogs to call a timeout. 
      .Javonte Smart would hit a three with 8:53 to go in the game to put LSU up, 74-52. The Tigers would continue to dominate as Marlon Taylor would dunk a alley-oop pass from Trendon Watford to increase LSU's lead to 89-58 with 2:59 to go in the ball game. LSU would toy with the Bulldogs for the final two minutes, as the Tigers would end the regular season with a 94-64 victory over Georgia.
       Marlon Taylor would score 30 in his last home game as a Tiger.  Skylar Mays also played a fantastic game as he would add 19 points. Trendon Watford would finish with a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. With the win, LSU is now 21-10 over all and 12-6 in the SEC. 
      
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3/4/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


      FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.– It was Senior Night for Arkansas, and the Hogs sent their seniors out with a dominating 99-90 victory over a LSU team that played poorly and was plagued with foul trouble all game long. 
      LSU lead early, 4-3. But at the 16:14 mark, the Razorbacks' Desi Sill would make a three pointer to take their first lead of the game and would never trail again.  
      Emmitt Williams would make a three pointer to cut Arkansas' lead to 28-20, with 7:20 to go in the first half.  The Hogs would then go on a 27-14 run, taking a 55-34 lead at the half.  
      In the first 20 minutes, the Tigers would only shoot 35% from the floor (11-31), as Arkansas went 17-32 for 53%. Trendon Watford was LSU's leading scorer at the half with 8 points, Skylar Mays would have 7 points, while Javonte Smart, Marlon Taylor, and Emmitt Williams were each in foul trouble with three apiece. LSU also committed seven turnovers to the Razorbacks' one.  Arkansas junior guard, Mason Jones had 20 points at the half, as he would have his way with LSU all night long.
      Arkansas would continue take it to the Tigers in the second half, as they would lead by as much as 23 points.  In the final eight minutes of the game, LSU would start to pull things together and would begin to cut into the Razorbacks' lead.
      At the 7:01 mark, Javonte Smart who would finish the game with 14 points, and would foul out, scored on a layup to cut the Arkansas lead down to 15 points, 77-62.  Darius Days would make a basket four minutes later, to help cut the Hogs' lead down to eleven, 83-72. Then LSU would pull to within seven, 87-80, with 1:54 to go in the contest. 
      But the 23 point deficit would simply be too much for the Tigers to overcome.  With Smart and Darius Days fouling out, and five other Tigers each with four, LSU simply didn't have enough in them to manage a comeback win. 
      Skylar Mays finished the game with a team high 28 points. Emmitt Williams scored 16. Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart both added 14 each.  For Arkansas, Mason Jones finished with 36 points, while senior Jimmy Whitt Jr. added 26 points on the night. 
      With the loss, LSU is now 20-10 overall (11-6 in SEC).  The Tigers will finish off the regular season on Saturday, March 7 at home against Georgia. Tip Off is set for 1pm.  Get your tickets and come out for Senior Day, as Skylar Mays, Marlon Taylor, and Marshall Graves will each play their final game in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. 
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3/4/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!