Da Boot Sports 11/16/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff CHARLESTON, South Carolina – For the second time in a week, a three-pointer with less than five seconds left was the difference as Dayton rallied in the final nine minutes to score a 70-67 decision over LSU in the opening round of the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic Thursday at TD Arena. The Tigers will now face North Texas in the consolation round game at 11:30 a.m. ET (10:30 a.m. Baton Rouge time). North Texas lost to St John’s in the opening game of the day, 53-52. The loss overshadowed another strong offensive game from sophomore Jalen Reed who had his career scoring high for the second straight game with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including one three-pointer and a free throw. He fouled out with 3:42 to play in the game. Tyrell Ward hit all three distance attempts in scoring 12 points, while Will Baker had 10 points. The two teams played fairly evenly in the first half in a game with five ties and 11 lead changes. The Tigers took the lead into intermission on a Carlos Stewart bucket with four seconds to play, 32-30. LSU would make it a 10-0 run carrying over to the second half scoring the first eight points on a three by Mike Williams III, a deuce from Will Baker and then a three-ball from distance by Baker to make it 40-30. The run at the start of the second half eventually reached 14-2 in the first 3:13 of the second half as LSU built a 46-32 advantage. LSU hit 5-of-6 field goals to open the half and all three shots from distance while Dayton was 0-of-6 from the field and 0-of-3 from the arc. The Tigers continued to hold Dayton at bay, building a 60-45 lead with 9:07 to play as Reed made a layup, was fouled and then added a free throw. But Dayton gradually began to find its offensive flow against LSU, getting two layups and a jumper to cut the Tigers lead to 60-51 with 6:36 left when LSU called timeout. Reed would make a jumper out of the timeout to get the lead back to 11 at 62-51, but the Tigers got stuck on 62 for some four minutes as Dayton in all went on a 19-2 run that gave them a 64-62 lead with 3:42 still to play. LSU tried to assert itself against as Ward made a three-pointer to give LSU back the lead, 65-64, with 2:14 left Dayton missed a three-pointer and Derek Fountain forced his way inside for a layup and a 67-64 lead with 1:25 to play. Dayton used a timeout at this point. The Flyers missed a shot but got the offensive rebound, something that had been a problem for LSU much of the night. Javon Bennett then missed a three but Dayton controlled the ball as LSU couldn’t grab it as it went out of bounds. At that point, Koby Brea hit a second chance three and the game was tied with 48.2 seconds. LSU’s Trae Hannibal tried to go down the lane but turned the ball over on a travel to Dayton with 22.7 remaining. The Flyers got the ball to Nate Santos who buried the three with 4.1 seconds to play to give Dayton a 70-67 lead. The Tigers, after a timeout, tried to get a shot up but a rushed three-pointer by Stewart was short ending the contest. Santos, who made three treys, finished with 19 points and nine boards, while Bennett had 16 points (4 treys) and Brea 13, including three from distance. Enoch Cheeks had 10 rebounds. Dayton out rebounded the Tigers, 35-28, including 14-4 on the offensive boards. At the end of the first half, Dayton had a 7-0 advantage in offensive boards. Dayton shot 39.3 percent for the game (22-of-56) and 11-of-34 outside the arc (32.4%). The Tigers shot 26-of-49 for the game, 53.1 percent (7-of-16 from distance (43.8%). The loss ended an 18-game winning streak over the last several years when LSU shoots better than 50 percent in a game. The Tigers had a 28-18 advantage in points in the paint, but Dayton had an 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers, capitalizing on 15 Tiger turnovers. Dayton turned it over 11 times. For the game there were seven ties and 14 lead changes. Friday’s game will be broadcast on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network with John Brady and Colin Lacy, sitting in for Chris Blair. The game will be televised on ESPNU. Coach Matt McMahon during the post-game of the LSU Sports Radio Network: On the play of Jalen Reed… “I thought he was terrific. We were able to play through him offensively. He did a good job of taking advantage of some mismatch situations and getting to the basket, playing strong off two feet and finishing some plays. He knocked down a big three early, I thought he played really well. That hurt us, him going out of the game, when he fouled out, we needed his ball handling and playmaking ability there at the forward spot.” On the intensity of the team… “The guys played their tails off, that’s what makes it a tough pill to swallow that we couldn’t close the deal. The turnovers obviously hurt us there in the second half and some of the second shot opportunities. Even when Dayton took the lead after some unforced errors there, our guys responded and took the lead right back. I was proud of our fight and the energy and comradery we played with, just disappointed we were unable to finish the last minute there.” On the quick turnaround before game two against North Texas… “That’s the biggest key for us, I know we’ve got a disappointed locker room, but we tip it off in less than 17 hours against one of the best defensive teams in the country. Really physical, tough, hard-nosed group, they put a lot of pressure on the rim with their ability to drive the ball. Really talented team and it will be a physical game tomorrow, so we have to turn the page quickly.” John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring and believing in our publication CARDIO HEALTH SOLUTIONS The company who cares for your heart and what your heart cares for!! Cardio Health Solutions (CHS) utilizes PET and CPET technology to detect all forms of cardiovascular disease even in its earliest stage. We also provide financing, support, and management services to practices interested in exploring the functional capacity of their patients through detection and ancillary imaging. GEAUX to https://www.cardiohealthsolutions.net/ for more information, or call 1-800-578-0654 DA BOOT SPORTS SUPPORTS AUTISM AWARENESS
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Da Boot Sports 11/10/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - The Nicholls Colonels came into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and upset LSU, 68-66 on Friday. The Tigers trailed by as much as 24 points in the first half and were down by 19 at the half, but battled back to grab their first lead of the contest, 58-57 with 5:36 left in the game. Both teams played sloppy over the final five minutes with LSU blowing several opportunities to increase their slim lead. With the Colonels trailing, 66-65, Jalen White hit a desperation three pointer with 1.5 seconds left on the clock to give Nicholls the victory. Jalen Reed led the Tigers with 14 points on the night. Jordan Wright finished with 11 points, while Derek Fountain added 9 and Carlos Stewart 8 points. “I’d really like to start off my saying congratulations to Coach (Tevon) Saddler and the Nicholls State program. Just a terrific job. Completely outcoached me for 40 minutes." Matt McMahon said. "He had his team ready to go and to compete at a high level. They played every possession as if it was going to determine the outcome of the game as it should be. They deserved to win. Really shouldn’t have had to work that hard to get the win. For whatever reason I didn’t have our team ready to play in the first half. They just spaced us out and whipped us off the dribble. We struggled to communicate defensively and credit to Nicholls State, they made us pay every time. With every missed switch, guys stepped up and buried threes. They just played with a lot of energy and fight. That’s how they were able to overcome the 20 turnovers that we were able to force. I apologize to everyone who came tonight. It’s my responsibility to have our team locked in and ready to compete and take great pride in putting that LSU jersey on and I failed miserably in that challenge tonight. We will get back to work this weekend to improve our team.” Nicholls began the contest with a bolt of energy, grabbing an early 11 point lead as Jalen White hit three shots from behind the three point arc, with Rob Brown adding a fast break layup, shocking the LSU crowd. LSU finally got on the board at the 15:57 mark when Trae Hannibal banked in a layup, 11-2 Colonels. The sluggish start continued for the Tigers as Nicholls would go on a 14-9 run over the next five minutes to take a 25-9 advantage. With 9:14 left in the first half LSU found themselves trailing 28-10 as the Colonels remained hot, shooting 69% from the floor while the Bayou Bengals struggled to score. The scoreboard read, Nicholls 39, LSU 17 at the 4:19 officials timeout, as the Colonels were in the middle of a 14-8 run. The nightmarish first half mercifully came to and end with Nicholls leading LSU, 44-25 at the break. LSU shot an ice cold 7-27 from the floor for 26% in the first half and a dismal 1-11 from three point range for 9%, while finishing 10-14 at the free throw line. Nicholls out-rebounded the Tigers, 19-13. LSU committed seven first half turnovers while forcing the Colonels into ten. Jalen Reed lead the Tigers in the first half with 5 points, Tyrell Ward finished with 4 points, Trae Hannibal added 3, while Jordan Wright, Hunter Dean and Will Baker all finished with 2 points each. Nicholls did a fantastic job defending Will Baker, double and triple teaming him at times, keeping LSU's big man in check. LSU started the second half with a 10-3 run, cutting the Nicholls lead to 47-35. The Tigers began to play more aggressive on offense, taking the ball to the rim instead of depending on the perimeter shot. Carlos Stewart hit a three pointer at the 14:25 mark to cut the Colonels lead to only nine, 47-38, giving the Pete Maravich Assembly Center fans something to cheer about. LSU battled back to tie the contest, 57-57 at the 6:05 mark, with a 22-10 run over the last ten minutes. A few seconds later, Jalen Reed would make a free throw giving the Tigers their first lead of the night, 58-57 with 5:36 remaining. With the loss, LSU is now 1-1 on the season. Next up the Tigers will travel to Charleston, North Carolina to play three games in the Charleston Classic. LSU will open the classic against Dayton on Thursday, November 16th. Tipoff is set for 3:00pm CST and the game will be carried on ESPN2. Please "LIKE" us on Facebook.... Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.... Follow us on Twitter aka; X at @dabootsports1 Also, if you would like to become a sponsor or interested in making a donation to help fund the publication please contact Terrill at dabootsports1@gmail.com Thanks for supporting Da Boot Sports!!! *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring and believing in our publication CARDIO HEALTH SOLUTIONS The company who cares for your heart and what your heart cares for!! Cardio Health Solutions (CHS) utilizes PET and CPET technology to detect all forms of cardiovascular disease even in its earliest stage. We also provide financing, support, and management services to practices interested in exploring the functional capacity of their patients through detection and ancillary imaging. GEAUX to https://www.cardiohealthsolutions.net/ for more information, or call 1-800-578-0654 DA BOOT SPORTS SUPPORTS AUTISM AWARENESS Da Boot Sports 11/6/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - The Tigers opened up the 2023-24 season with a 106-60 blowout victory over Mississippi Valley State at home in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Despite the opponent, the Tigers looked sharp most of the night shooting well from the outside and showcasing talented new comer Will Baker. Baker introduced himself to the Tiger fans with 29 total points in only 19 minutes of game play. Carlos Stewart played solid at the point, doing a great job of running the LSU offense for most of the game. He finished with 9 points. Jordan Wright contributed 12 points, while Daimion Collins added 11. Tyrell Ward also scored 11 on the night. What impressed me the most on the night was LSU's perimeter shooting. They finished the game shooting 58% from the floor (34-59). They shot 54% from behind the three point arc (14-26) and were solid from the charity stripe hitting 24-34 for 71%. Defensively the Tigers forced 22 turnovers that they were able to convert into 35 points. The only disappointing stat was rebounding, as LSU was only able to out-rebound the Delta Devils, 38-32. Twelve Tigers got into the scoring column as Matt McMahon played several players during the contest. “Great way to start off the season." Matt McMahon said. "Really appreciate all the fans and the students that came out tonight. Love the unselfishness and effort our guys played with. Like I said good way to start things off. I thought shot selection was good. Had seven turnovers in the first half and a lot of unforced errors. We went about twelve minutes there in the second half without a turnover, so I was excited to see that improvement. I think defensively we were able to be disruptive with the press and some of the defensive concepts. This pointed at our defensive rebounding. Too many offensive rebounds allowed and that will be an area we work in practice as we start preparing for Nicholls State on Friday night. Excited to go 1-0 and looking forward to getting to play in the PMAC again Friday night at seven.” The Tigers got on the board first on a Mike William III three point shot at the 19:04 mark, 3-0 Tigers. Over the next five minutes LSU would go on a 12-7 run to hold a 15-7 advantage at the 14:19 officials timeout. The run was highlighted by a nice two hand dunk by 7'-0" center Will Baker and three pointers by Tyrell Ward and Carlos Stewart. Early on this LSU squad showed they have the ability to shoot the ball well from the perimeter as well as an inside game with Will Baker. LSU increased their lead to 36-20, going on a 21-13 run over the next eight minutes of play. With 3:12 left in the first half, the Tigers held a 42-23 lead over the Delta Devils as Matt McMahon continued to substitute heavily throughout the opening period. Tyrell Ward hit a three pointer at the buzzer to send LSU into the locker room at the half with a 56-29 lead. The Tigers finished the half on a 20-9 run over the final six minutes. It was the Will Baker show in the first half as he dazzled the LSU crowd with 21 points. Baker was a force in the paint, solid at the charity stripe and even showed his ranged, burying a three pointer. Tyrell Ward had a nice first half with 11 points for the Bayou Bengals. The Tigers shot 60% from the floor in the first half (18-30), 50% from three point range (5-10) and 94% from the free throw line (15-16). LSU forced 12 turnovers while committing seven. The Tigers out-rebounded the Delta Demons, 16-15 over the first 20 minutes. LSU began the second half going on a 14-5 run over the first five minutes to take a 70-34 lead. The Tigers turned up their defensive heat in the second half only allowing Mississippi Valley State nine points during the first eight minutes of the second period, while staying hot offensively shooting 61% from the floor. At the 11:44 mark the Tigers lead 81-37. Coach McMahon continued to shuffle his lineup giving several players nice quality minutes. LSU continued their dominance over the out-manned Delta Devils holding a 50 point lead, 97-47 with 3:47 left in the contest. The victory was a nice way to begin the season. Next up, the Tigers stay home in the P-MAC as they will take on Nicholls on Friday, November 10th at 7:00pm CST. Get your tickets and come out and watch these Tigers play! ..... GEAUX TIGERS!! Don't forget to tune into 'Talking Tigers Podcast with Da Boot Sports' on our YouTube Channel on Tuesday night, November 6th at 7:30pm CST as David Penn, Ron Sancho and our special guest Roland Barbay will review the Tigers disappointing loss to Alabama and preview the big upcoming Florida contest. It's gunna be a great show! Don't miss it! Please "LIKE" us on Facebook.... Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.... Follow us on Twitter aka; X at @dabootsports1 Also, if you would like to become a sponsor or interested in making a donation to help fund the publication please contact Terrill at dabootsports1@gmail.com Thanks for supporting Da Boot Sports!!! Photos By: Michael Bacigalupi *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring and believing in our publication CARDIO HEALTH SOLUTIONS The company who cares for your heart and what your heart cares for!! Cardio Health Solutions (CHS) utilizes PET and CPET technology to detect all forms of cardiovascular disease even in its earliest stage. We also provide financing, support, and management services to practices interested in exploring the functional capacity of their patients through detection and ancillary imaging. GEAUX to https://www.cardiohealthsolutions.net/ for more information, or call 1-800-578-0654 Our story starts out like most, with a good idea and two hard working people to make sure it became a reality. Mr. Fun’s Travel opened our doors in February of 2018 with a plan to provide guests a first-class “bucket-list” travel experience, where we not only know you by name but treat you like family. Whether we are cheering on our LSU Tigers in opposing stadiums, catching an afternoon game at Wrigley Field or standing at Amen Corner during The Master’s, Mr. Fun’s travel is committed to proving exceptional customer service, lasting memories and a hassle-free travel experience where we take care of the details for you! We hope you’ll join us on an upcoming trip and see why everyone doesn’t just want to go, but instead Geaux With The Preauxs! www.mrfunstravel.com **Please let them know you heard about them from Da Boot Sports! Cole Freeman's: HEART HAS NO LIMITPlease check out the website and grab up some inspiring gear to wear! www.hearthasnolimit.com **Please let them know you heard about them from Da Boot Sports! DA BOOT SPORTS SUPPORTS AUTISM AWARENESS Da Boot Sports 3/9/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Kent Lowe NASHVILLE, Tennessee – LSU super senior KJ Williams, senior Trae Hannibal and junior Cam Hayes combined for 55 of LSU’s 68 points as the Tigers end their 2022-23 season in the second round of the SEC Tournament with a 77-68 loss to Vanderbilt here Thursday night in Bridgestone Arena.The Tigers finish the season at 14-19, while Vanderbilt will face Kentucky in the final game of Friday’s quarterfinals. The Commodores are now 19-13 overall. Williams completed his spectacular single season at LSU that earned him second team All-SEC honors and against Vanderbilt, he made 10-of-16 field goals, including 4-of-8 from distance and both free throw attempts for 26 points and 11 rebounds. It was ninth double double of the year. He also had two assists. Hayes hit 5-of-11 shots with one trey and five free throws to finish with 16 points and two assists. Hannibal had a 13-point, career best 13 rebound game (7 offensive), making three field goals and 7-of-10 at the free throw line to go with four assists and two steals. While the trio combined to make 18-of-36 shots and 5-of-12 from the arc, the Tigers still shot just 33.3 percent for the game (23-of-69) and 6-of-23 from distance. Vanderbilt shot a consistent 46.4 percent from the floor (26-of-56) with six treys. The rebounded were even at 42, the third straight game LSU recorded at least 40 rebounds. LSU had a 20-12 advantage on the offensive boards and 19-12 on second chance points. The Tigers continued to get better more consistently at the end in turnovers, having back-to-back single digit turnovers games in the tournament, with eight. Tyrin Lawrence led Vandy with 22 points, while Ezra Manjon had 17, Jordan Wright 15 points and 15 rebounds and Paul Lewis 11 points as those four combined for 65-of-Vandy’s-77 points. Vandy took the lead 16 seconds in and never trailed in the contest from there, building as much as a 14-point first half advantage with under eight minutes to go in the first half and leading 37-29 at intermission. In the second half, the Tigers behind the play of its three scorers on this night, continued to show fight, scoring the first three buckets of the second half (all by Williams on a three-pointer, a bucket off a turnover and an offensive rebound put back to get LSU back to within one, 37-36, with 17:57 to play in the game. But Vandy answered with a long two-pointer and after a turnover and three misses on one possession, got a three-pointer to push it to 42-36. That started a 12-0 run that gave Vandy a 49-36 cushion. LSU was able to get the game to seven in the final 45 seconds before Vanderbilt got the last two points on free throws for the final margin. -- Vanderbilt 77, LSU 68 THE MODERATOR: We’re ready to start with LSU. We’ll ask Coach McMahon for some opening comments. Coach. MATT McMAHON: Thank you. I’ll start with just a couple comments here on Vanderbilt. Congratulations to them on the win tonight. I don’t know their staff great, but just following them after their loss against Alabama back January 31st, kind of a line-in-the-sand moment for their team. Credit to them for coming together. I think 9-1 since that game. They’ve always been really good on the offensive end of the floor. I think their defensive improvement since that game has really allowed them to go on this great run and get in the NCAA tournament conversation. That’s a tremendous credit to their players and Coach Stackhouse. Secondly, to lose a player of Liam Robbins’ caliber, really have not missed a beat these last three games. That’s to take nothing away from Robbins. Deservedly an All-SEC player. Again, just admire what they’ve been able to accomplish here in February and March. Finally, for me, sitting here with KJ Williams, just been a tremendous honor for me to have the opportunity to coach him over these last five years. He’s what college basketball is all about. He’s what coaching is all about. Incredibly thankful to have that opportunity. I thought our players as a whole, we came down this week, came here in Nashville, I thought we competed. I thought we were more connected on the defensive end of the floor for the most part. But unfortunately, credit to Vanderbilt’s defense, we were unable to score the ball efficiently enough today to give ourselves a chance to win. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes. Q. KJ, y’all were down eight at halftime. You came out and scored the first seven to get your team back in it. What were they trying to do to you differently with Robbins out tonight? KJ WILLIAMS: I think they came out with their four man guarding me, a much smaller player than last game. I think they had Liam on me mostly the whole game. I still came out pretty successful, but it was tough for me to go out and get back because most of the time I’m always having to screen, then they’ll switch back somebody else on me. It’s hard for somebody else to come back and just go score. Q. Trae, you got back in the game, had a chance at tying it. Vanderbilt went on a 12-0 run after that. Did they force their will on you? TRAE HANNIBAL: Yeah, they kind of was playing hard the whole game. They were just out-toughing us, playing through a lot of contact, things like that. Got to some loose balls throughout the game, too. It’s kind of tough. Kudos to them. They had a great game, so… THE MODERATOR: We’ll excuse you and continue with questions for Coach. Q. Now that it’s over, the entirety of the season, how it kind of crashed tonight after a big win last night. MATT McMAHON: The season as a whole? Yeah, that’s probably a long conversation. Welcome to have it, but just in general, yeah, I think clearly disappointed in the overall result of the season. You asked me, one of your first questions when I was blessed to get to take to job, what are your goals? My goal is the same every year: I want to help our players and team max out and become the best we’re capable of being. Whether that’s 15 wins, 18 wins, 31 wins… I don’t think we were able to get that accomplished this year. That’s clearly my responsibility. But there’s the reality, also, I’m well aware. I’m not an excuse-maker. I don’t blame anybody or complain. The reality is we didn’t take over the 22-win LSU team that went to the NCAA tournament. We took over a program in crisis, zero players, zero signees. Really had to start at ground zero and try to put a team together and do our best moving forward. Unfortunately, wasn’t able to get it done at the level I would have liked to in January and February. Take quite a few positives from the year. Number one, I’m excited and thrilled about the opportunity to coach at LSU. It was a privilege getting to watch KJ Williams come in and be an All-SEC player. The comeback at Wake Forest, largest comeback since 1996 at LSU. The home win against Arkansas. But at the end of the day, didn’t get the job done at the level I would have liked to have gotten it done. We’ll learn from it, and look forward to moving into the future. Q. Getting within one, after the way you won last night, did you feel like you were back in it? Did Vanderbilt do something different at that point? MATT McMAHON: I think so. I mean, KJ got those quick buckets there. I thought their defensive game plan was good. Really didn’t guard some of our guys who struggled shooting the ball tonight. It made the floor really crowded. At the end of the day in college basketball, you got to have elite guard play. I thought Manjon at the point for them really took over the game with his speed and quickness off the dribble. I thought Lewis came off the bench at the backup point and gave them good minutes. Hit a couple big threes, gives them 11 points. Lawrence has been a really good player all year. Since Robbins went out, he’s really stepped up his game to another level. 22 points on just seven shots. So overall the efficiency of their guard play really dictated that second half especially. Q. You said you’re starting from ground zero. Where is your focus, what this team needs to get to the level you expect it to be? MATT McMAHON: Yeah, I’d love to sit here and tell you that the foundation is in place. That was the goal going in, to have the culture established, a winning culture, to move the program forward. But the reality of it is when you finish January and February the way we did, oftentimes you learn what not to do. You learn what corrections need to be made, whether that’s in roster construction, culture, offensive, defensive schemes, preparation, whatever it might be. We’ll certainly address all of those areas and make the improvements necessary to move the program forward. Da Boot Sports 3/8/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil NASHVILLE, TN - The Tigers snapped their three game losing streak with a hard fought 72-67 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night. The Tigers were able to do what they struggled to do all season, finish off an opponent late during a close contest. LSU found themselves in a tie game, 67-67 with only 1:33 remaining before outscoring the Bulldogs 5-0 the rest of the way for the victory. The Bayou Bengals lead at the break, 42-30. LSU had a solid team effort in first half with several players contributing. Trea Hannibal led the Tigers with 7 points, while KJ Williams, Adam Miller, Tyrell Ward and Shawn Phillips Jr. each added 6 points a piece, followed by Justice Williams with 5 and Cam Hayes with 4 points. The Tigers led 48-38 at the 15:53 mark in the second half before Georgia would go on a 21-9 run over the next twelve minutes to take a 59-57 lead. For the final 4:16 the contest turned into a dogfight with LSU making the big play when needed to come out on top. KJ Williams finished the game with 18 points, followed by Hannibal with 14, Phillips with 13 and Miller with 10. LSU shot 40% from the floor hitting 20-50 shots while sinking 6-17 from behind the three point arc for 35%. The Tigers also had a great night at the free throw line making 21-24 for 88%. Next up the Tigers will play will Vanderbilt on Thursday night. The game is scheduled for 8:30pm CT and will be televised on the SEC Network. **Postgame Press Conference** LSU 72, Georgia 67 THE MODERATOR: We’re ready to begin with LSU. We’ll begin and ask Coach McMahon for some general thoughts on the game, then questions for the two student-athletes, then continue with questions for Coach. Coach, would you begin. MATT McMAHON: Thank you. Really proud of our players. Thankful for the opportunity to advance here in the SEC Tournament. It was a fun game, a great atmosphere. I was not expecting that many people here on opening night. I hope I’m never back for opening night, but that was a lot of fun. Really proud of the way our guys responded. As we all know, we’ve had some 10-, 12-point leads where we haven’t been able to sustain it and find a way to win. Georgia did a great job fighting to get back in the game and tie it up. Had all the momentum. I thought our guys really responded well and found a way to win. Just looking at the box score, things that really stand out to me, how do you overcome 36% shooting from the floor and 20% from three, 25 to four on the offensive glass, second-chance points was huge for us. Then just limiting our turnovers. 10 assists, one turnover in the half. Finished 13 to five. Proud of our guys and looking forward for tomorrow night. THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions for the two student-athletes. Q. Trae, you guys were able to get an edge on the offensive glass. You had 11 total rebounds. What do you think it is about this team that’s so good on the glass? TRAE HANNIBAL: This is a tough team. We’ve been through a lot this year. We can’t go back and change it now. At the end of the day as long as guys go out there and do their job for the team, anything is possible. Tonight, I just played hard and did what I could for the win. Thankful. Q. KJ, you told us about a week and a half ago you’ve been taking Shawn Phillips under your wing. What did you feed him today? KJ WILLIAMS: Me and Shawn are roommates at the hotel. I told him to come out and play basketball, block out all the noise, come out and just play basketball. The outcome was the outcome. Came out with his first career double-double, 13-10. He just stayed the course on the offensive end, defensive end. He’s worked tremendously hard, and it came out with a good outcome today. Q. You saw Vanderbilt a few weeks ago, see them again tomorrow. What did you make of them then and now? TRAE HANNIBAL: Vanderbilt is a tough team. They’re well-coached. They really play hard. Like tonight’s game is over with, we have to put it behind us. Our main focus now is on Vanderbilt. Going out there for 40 more minutes, give it our all, stick to the game plan. KJ WILLIAMS: Like he said, we got to lock in on our principles. They came out and gave us a great game. But we came out with the win. We got to come out again, just come out and just play hard. Q. Trae, you looked like you came out tonight and wanted to attack right from the start. What was the plan going in? Take it right in the middle to them? TRAE HANNIBAL: Yes, sir. Like I said, going out there and doing what I can to help this team win, being as aggressive as I can and attacking the rim at all times. This team, we have a lot of great shooters. Can always space it out. Getting downhill is my main trait, and I think I did that pretty well, so… THE MODERATOR: We’ll excuse the student-athletes and continue with Coach McMahon. Q. You said Monday the big thing would be turnovers. Do you think that was the big key in the game? MATT McMAHON: I think it was a huge part of it. I mean, you look at so many games, all right, just last week, for example, I mean, our two opponents outscored us 33 to 6 on points off turnovers. It’s impossible to win when you’re giving away that many points. I thought that was important. We really executed well offensively in the second half. Excuse me, got to flip that, in the first half (smiling). The ball moved. I thought we were able to really do a good job attacking. Our ball screen attack there with 10 assists, only one turnover, enabled us to build the lead. Second half, Georgia changed their coverages up. We didn’t attack as well. Of course, we turned it over the first two possessions for a good laugh there (smiling). Overall, 13 assists, five turnovers. Also, you have to look at the offensive rebounding. We turned our 18 offensive rebounds into 25 points. It’s not just that we got the offensive rebounds, it’s that we were efficient in converting those into points, which has not always been the case for us this year. Q. Really big sequence when Shawn got the dunk on the put-back, and then he blocked the shot when it looked like the guy, Bridges, was going to get an easy shot. How big was that for a young guy like him? MATT McMAHON: I thought he made huge plays that really impacted winning, not just those plays you mentioned, but going to the line, up by one, I believe, at the time. He knocked down both free throws in a clutch situation there. Bridges is such an effective scorer there in the post. I thought he was really solid on the defensive end of the floor. Overall, just was a great screener for us offensively. I thought he did a lot of things well that enabled us to win the game. Q. Derek Fountain, is he going to be available? Also, what did you tell Shawn? MATT McMAHON: We sure hope so. It’s a day-to-day injury suffered in practice earlier this week to his right shoulder. Hope to have him back tomorrow night, but not counting on it. We’ll see how he responds to treatment. I think Shawn just knew there was a great opportunity for him to step forward there. Derek has been one of our most efficient and consistent players all year. We were going to need someone to step up, and Shawn came through huge for us. I thought KJ made big plays when the money was on the line there late in the game. Made clutch free throws. That was my final key to the game, the free-throw line. I thought we all know Texas A&M leads America getting to the line. Well, Georgia is number two in our league. Us being able to stay with them and match them at the free-throw line I thought was really important tonight. Q. Heading into tomorrow, what are your thoughts on Vanderbilt, what Jerry Stackhouse has done with that program this year? MATT McMAHON: He’s a big-time coach. We’ll have to really turn the page quickly here and start our preparation. I think offensively they execute at a high, high level, as well as anyone in the country. The other thing we obviously have to factor in is when we played them last time a few weeks ago, Robbins was still available. Had a monster game. I think one blocked shot, a triple-double. With him out, I know they’ve continued to have great success and win a lot of games. But we have to spend a lot of time tonight, figure out how they’re playing different and what we need to prepare for to give ourselves an opportunity tomorrow night. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Da Boot Sports 3/4/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Kent Lowe GAINESVILLE, FL. – The LSU Tigers could not stand the second half onslaught from the Florida Gators, falling 79-67, in the final game of the 2022-23 regular season Saturday at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Gators were able to turn a four-point LSU lead at halftime and then a 12-point, 44-32, lead with 15:45 to play completely upside down, outscoring LSU, 47-25, the rest of the game. KJ Williams, just missing a ninth double double with 19 points and nine rebounds, led the Tigers hitting 6-of-13 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws. Derek Fountain had his fourth college double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Adam Miller added 10 points. Riley Kugel went off in the second half, scoring 21 points, 17 of them the second half, while Will Richard had 18 points and Kyle Lofton added 16 points and five assists. For the third straight game, the opponent shot over 50 percent from the field, hitting 16-of-30 shots (53.3%) and then 5-of-10 from the arc. LSU made 11-of-30 in the second half and 1-of-5 from distance. Florida finished 28-of-61 for 45.9 percent and 10-of-25 for 40 percent to go with 13-of-20 from the free throw line. LSU finished 23-of-60 (38.3%) and just 3-of-16 from distance (18.8%) along with 18-of-25 from the charity stripe. LSU turned the ball over 13 times, eight in the second half, leading to a 13-4 points off turnovers advantage for the Gators, including an 11-2 margin in the second half. The Tigers led for 8:27 of the first half which featured seven ties and three lead changes, and LSU came out after halftime and outscored the Gators 11-3 to push the LSU lead to 44-32 as Williams scored the last six points of the run. But Florida began to press and slowly worked itself back into the game with a 9-1 run that cut the lead to four at 45-41, with 14:04 to play. LSU was able to keep the lead for the next seven-odd minutes before an LSU turnover led to a Kowacie Reeves fast break dunk to give Florida the lead, 54-53. Fountain came back after both teams missed and scored to give LSU a 55-54 advantage but Florida took the lead for good on a Richard layup, 56-55, with 6:12 to go and the Gators would quickly get the lead to double figures to clinch the game. LSU now goes to the SEC Tournament in Nashville, where it will face Georgia in the second game on Wednesday at approximately 8:30 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena. LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon Quotes from Postgame Radio Show On the game plan in the first half… “First half, I thought our on-ball defense was really good. For the most part, I thought they caught us on a couple rolls on their ball screen attack, but i thought we were doing a good jump of forcing them into contested jump shots off the dibble and they were taking some difficult ones. On our offensive end, we had five turnovers, I believe the first six minutes of the game, then did not turn it over again the rest of the half. That enabled us to get the ball into the paint and score some. Struggled from behind the arc, but we were able to finish some plays there in the first half around the rim. That was an area we thought we could take advantage of going in, they were a top 10 defensive team in the country protecting the rim with (Colin) Castleton, without him in the last five games, they have given up almost 70 % at the rim from the floor. Unfortunately, there in the second half we shot 40% on the layups around the basket and were just unable to convert on all those three-on-twos and two-on-ones and three-on-ones when we beat the press.” On the second half… “Got off to a good start, we were able to control where the ball was going. Guys were stepping up and able to finish some plays around the rim. I thought we really good on the offensive glass, Derek (Fountain) gets five, KJ (Williams) gets four in that stretch. That enabled us to build a lead. The first four minutes of the second half I believe we went plus eight into the first media timeout. Then at that point, they (Florida) changed it up and put us in positions to make plays and unfortunately we were unable to do so.” Da Boot Sports 3/1/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU held the lead for 36 minutes on Wednesday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, but fell to Missouri, 81-76 after going ice cold over the final 2:38 of the contest. The Tigers were explosive in the first half of play, leading by as much as 19 points before taking a 13 point lead, 47-34 into the halftime break. KJ Williams (15 points) and Adam Miller (14 points) led the first half offensive attack. It was probably LSU's most electric half of the season as they shot 48% from the floor, including 11-15 (73%) from behind the three point arc and sinking 12-12 free throws. But, as all season long, the Tigers were unable to put together a solid 40 minutes. Over the first nine minutes of the second half, Missouri would go on a 25-12 run to tie the game at 59-59. Mizzou's second half comeback was aided by the Tigers' poor shooting and sloppy ball handling that led to ten costly LSU turnovers. “I thought our guys really competed tonight. Parker Edwards got us off to a really special start there with his two threes and his start on Senior Night." Matt McMahon said. "I thought that carried over to our team. I think we competed the way we need to play every single night. Credit to Missouri, they stayed the course there when we built a lead in the first half. I think we had one two-point field goal there, everything else was done beyond the arc and it was going to be hard to continue to shoot at a 73% clip from behind the arc. Unfortunately, in the second half, some of the same problem that have bother us all year. A lot of turnovers, unforced turnovers at times. KJ with another monster game, they put two and three on him at a time, but we were trying to get it to him on every trip. Unable to do so there late in the game. A couple of key possessions I thought, we got a stop with about two minutes to go up by two, they shot an airball three, we were unable to come up with the rebound and they (Missouri) got a putback there. We take a bad shot late. We were unable to get anything going there and then (D’Moi) Hodge buries a huge three. Credit to Missouri. They put a lot of pressure on you defensively. All one through five can beat you off the dribble and get to the rim and make plays at the basket. If you go double, they can all shoot it from three. Obviously disappointed in the result tonight.” Missouri took their first lead of the game, 77-74 when D'moi Hodge hit a three pointer with 1:37 left on the clock. With the loss the Tigers are now 13-17 overall, 2-15 in SEC play. Next up the Tigers will travel to Gainesville to play Florida on Saturday, March 4 at 5:00pm CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network. Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me." Da Boot Sports 2/26/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - In September of 2021 the LSU Board of Supervisors voted to name the Pete Maravich Assembly Center's basketball court after LSU legendary basketball coach Dale Brown. The vote passed. What an honor for Coach Brown. An honor that was very long over-due. "Dale Brown Court"... A fitting name for the court that Dale Brown built after coming to Baton Rouge with only $300 in his pocket and very little support. "Awards and honors were never a goal of mine. My only goals were to build LSU into a national power and to help young men improve their lives." Dale Brown said after the announcement of the decision. "Now, though, with the tremendous honor LSU’s Board of Supervisors has just given me –the naming of Dale Brown Court—I get to use one of the most powerful phrases in the English language: THANK YOU! Thank you to the Board of Supervisors for thinking enough of me to make this happen. Thank you to the people of Louisiana who have always allowed me to enjoy such a special relationship with both LSU and this entire state that I have loved for so long. Thank you to the parents who entrusted me with their sons. Thank you to my players and assistant coaches and support staff. Thank you to LSU fans everywhere. You have given me the honor of a lifetime. More than that, you have honored me by allowing me to be part of your lives for so many years now. THANK YOU!" Only a little over a year after honoring Dale Brown with a ceremony, unveiling his signature on the court in front of a capacity crowd before LSU's contest against Kentucky, the LSU Board of Supervisors once again voted for a name change to the PMAC basketball court. The vote took place on Friday, Feb. 10th. The board approved to add former women's basketball coach Sue Gunter's name to the court by the vote of 14-1. UNREAL! Dick Vitale jumped on Twitter when he heard the news.... “How ABSURD – in Louisiana, the Governor wants to change the name of the LSU basketball court that was named DALE BROWN COURT in a dedication ceremony about a year ago. This is wacky, Dale deserved the honor & it finally was affirmed & now UGLY POLITICS is involved.” Tim Brando who was a driving force back in 2021 in pushing for the naming of the court after Brown, mentioning back then to the LSU Board of Supervisors.... “Skip Bertman, the legend of LSU, who also was here when I was here,” said Brando. “He came in 1984 when I was still working at Channel 9, at WAFB. I left in 1986 for ESPN. Skip Bertman has said, and I quote, ‘Dale Brown’s presence at Louisiana State University is worth more than my five national championships as head baseball coach.’ That’s Skip Bertman.” After hearing about the name change, Brando would go onto say on Crain & Company.... “How dare Louisiana and LSU do this to them, and this is so typical of my state. Listen, I have great pride, as you know, in where I’m from. I love Louisiana… I’m pissed off, and it’s time other people get pissed off. Shaq, I’ve texted you, where are you? Make the calls, do it now. We have other people in power who could do something about this and stop it.” Gunter coached at LSU from 1982-2004, finishing with a 442-221 (.667) record. Gunter led the Lady Tigers to 14 NCAA Tournaments and two WNITs, winning one. She also directed LSU to 14 season of 20 wins or more, including a 30 win season. Halfway through the 2003-2004 season, poor health forced Gunter to take a medical leave of absence, later being diagnosed with emphysema. Gunter would not return to her position and later passed away on August 4th, 2005. LSU has since honored Sue Gunter with a very nice monument displaying her career achievements including a beautiful statue inside of the PMAC. My anger towards this name change is in no way shape or form anything personal towards Coach Gunter. She was a wonderful person and a great basketball coach. My argument is that she's been honored already by the university and it's a slap in the face to Dale Brown to make this change. Coach Brown deserves to be singled out without sharing an honor. If this is what the university wanted, then it should have been done from the beginning back when they voted in 2021. It was discussed and voted against. Now, going back to re-vote on this so soon is embarrassing. It's like stating that they made a mistake. Naming the court, 'Dale Brown Court' was no mistake. "LSU names 'Dale Brown Court' on January 4, 2022. One year later LSU changes the naming of 'Dale Brown Court'." former basketball player Russell Grant said. "The naming of a court is suppose to be an honor of achievement. LSU has stripped the honor for all involved. Coach Brown did not deserve this and I feel really bad for him and his entire family." This shouldn't of happened. Who the hell is responsible for resurfacing this vote? It's been reported that Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and LSU President William V. Tate were involved in pushing for the change. You Mr. Governor should be worried about fixing the horrible problems with our state rather then putting your two cents in on a sports issue. You Mr. William Tate should be more concerned with crime on the LSU campus and safety concerns of the university and the students rather then pushing change on something that shouldn't be. Where is Scott Woodward through all of this? Is Woodward a coward? He should have been the first person to speak up and put a stop to this. "I'm hurt and in disbelief!" said former player Dennis Tracey. "This is disgraceful and an embarrassment. It cuts the heart out of the LSU men's basketball program. What cowards." If LSU feels the need to honor Coach Gunter with more than a shrine and statue in the concourse of the PMAC, then why not name the women's practice facility after her? Or better yet, build the women's basketball program their own 9,000 seat gymnasium on campus and they can name it 'Sue Gunter Arena'. "First off I think both coaches are legendary coaches." said former LSU basketball player Maurice Williamson. "I do think it's a disservice to change the name of the basketball court. Nothing against Coach Gunter. She was a great coach. But I think Coach Brown did a little more for LSU, for his players and for the people of Louisiana. I'm still shocked and surprised to this day that they don't have a statue of Coach Brown outside of the PMAC to honor him." You simply don't bestow an honor on someone then strip it away, especially in such a short period of time. It's wrong and deceitful. LSU, you should be embarrassed and ashamed... Keep it 'Dale Brown Court'! *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) Da Boot Sports 2/25/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Kent Lowe OXFORD, Mississippi – The Ole Miss Rebels shot 55 percent, including 62 percent in the final 20 minutes to score an 82-69 win over the LSU Tigers Saturday night at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. The Rebels were 18-of-29 in the second half and finished 32-of-58 for the game as Ole Miss kept LSU from cutting into a 35-26 deficit at the half by outscoring LSU, 47-43. The win wiped out a 29-point effort by fifth year senior KJ Williams. Williams hit 10-of-18 field goals with two treys and 7-of-8 at the line to follow up his 35-point effort against Vanderbilt on Wednesday. LSU led for much of the first 15 minutes of the game, building as much as a seven-point advantage at 15-8 with 9:38 to go in the half. But Ole Miss began to assert itself at that point and after Trae Hannibal made two free throws to tie the game at 19-19, Ole Miss outscored LSU, 16-7 including a 10-0 run to take the 35-26 halftime advantage that would have been larger had Williams not hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. The second half went completely toward the offensive end as both teams shot 50 percent in the final 20 minutes for the second straight game. LSU scored the first five points of the half on two Williams free throws and a Miller three to make the Rebel lead just 35-31. LSU had a chance to get even closer on an Ole Miss turnover, but Tyrell Ward missed a three-pointer and Ole Miss scored back-to-back buckets to increase the lead back to eight, 39-31, and LSU could get no closer than the four at the start of the half. “Number one, credit to Ole Miss. They had had a lot go on here in the last 48 hours and I thought they came out really inspired and played together with great energy,” said LSU Coach Matt McMahon. “They just really manhandled us on the perimeter. Bumped us off every cut, really physical. Then, as you saw there, especially in the second half, unable to guard them. Just got beat time and time again off the dribble. “In the first half, you get off to the great start, 15-8, obviously they were trying to double KJ (Williams), they were trying to take him away in the post. We got some good looks on those doubles, we were unable to knock them down and then we also took a couple of just horrific shots off the dribble that really hurt us in that stretch. Then to close it out there, every time we got it down to six or seven, we just couldn’t get a stop. They scored on almost every possession in the second half.” “Really unfortunate, I thought we made some progress there. We had some untimely turnover and those 13 turnovers, the turnover battle pretty similar, but they (Ole Miss) convert theirs into 16 points. We only turned our forced turnovers into four. That ended up being a big difference in the game as well.” Besides the 29 from Williams, Adam Miller had 15 points and five assists on the night. Cam Hayes also had five assists. LSU shot 15-of-30 in the first half and made 5-of-14 from the arc in the second half after opening the game 2-of-13 from distance. LSU finished 24-of-54 for 44.4 percent and 7-of-27 from the arc. LSU was 14-of-15 from the free throw line. For the first time in several games, the Tigers also gave up points on turnovers to the advantage of 16-4 in favor of Ole Miss. LSU turned the ball over 13 times but against Ole Miss’ 10 turnovers the Tigers could only get four points. “Really unfortunate, I thought we made some progress there. We had some untimely turnovers and those 13 turnovers, the turnover battle pretty similar, but they (Ole Miss) convert theirs into 16 points. We only turned our forced turnovers into four. That ended up being a big difference in the game as well,” said Coach McMahon Ole Miss was led by Jaemyn Brakefield who owned the paint for the Rebels, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds, making 8-of-10 field goals and going 7-of-7 at the line. Amaree Abram had 14 points, Myles Burns 12 and Matthew Murrell 11. Ole Miss’ final shooting percentage was 55.2 percent and the Rebels were 9-of-21 from three for 42.9 percent. The Rebels posted a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint and tied LSU with 28 rebounds. The Tigers will play their final home game of the season on Wednesday night against Missouri. Senior night tributes will begin at 7:45 p.m. and the game will tip just after 8 p.m. CT. Tickets are available at LSUTix.net. Da Boot Sports 2/22/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - The Tigers returned to action on Wednesday night hoping to snap their 14 game losing streak against a red hot Vanderbilt team in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center/Dale Brown Court and that they did, shocking the Commodores with an 84-77 victory in front of 8,827 excited Tiger fans. Lead by KJ Williams who finished with 35 points, the Tigers were able to put together a solid performance on both ends of the court as they controlled the final 11 minutes of the contest. Vandy made a push late but the Tigers made plays when needed and sank their free throws to seal the win. “Great win for our team tonight. Really proud of our players. I loved the process we went through these last 48 hours; I thought the preparation was really good." Matt McMahon said. "I thought our guys played with great energy. I thought we had a really good shoot around that carried over into tonight. Really felt like we had a team out there tonight and it was a lot of fun to watch. The guys were really locked in to do the things we needed to do to have success. Obviously, KJ (Williams), his performance was off the charts, 35 and 10. I thought Adam Miller getting to the free-throw line 10 times was huge. 18 points there. Then I just think there were some other stats that have really been missing for us of late. You know, Trae Hannibal didn’t take a shot tonight, but he had the highest plus/minus in the game of any player. Juice Hill, four-to-one assist to turnover ratio, had the second-highest plus/minus in the game tonight. We have been challenging our players, this is where you find out what you are made of. It’s been a difficult stretch. Happy for our guys to come in here and play well and find a way to win tonight.” Vandy started the contest hot from behind the arc, hitting their first three shots from three point range to grab a 9-2 lead at the 16:31 mark, before LSU responded with a 9-2 run of their own to tie the game at 11-11. The Tigers then found another gear as they took their first lead, 19-18 with 9:47 left in the first half on a Jalen Reed layup. The Bayou Bengals extended their lead going on a 12-0 run to go up, 28-18 with 6:48 left on the clock. The teams would go to the locker rooms at the break with LSU holding a 39-32 lead as the Tigers put together probably their best half of play since the Kentucky game. KJ Williams led the Tigers at the break with 12 first half points, while Tyrell Ward scored 8 and Adam Miller added 7 points. The key stats of the first half was LSU shooting 6-13 from three point land for 46% and the Tigers outrebounding the Commodores, 27-19. Vanderbilt scored the first six points of the second half to cut LSU's lead to one, 39-38 as the game remained tight over the next eight minutes. With the score even at 50-50 at the 11:57 mark, the Tigers went on a 20-10 run over the next six minutes to take control of the game as they held a 70-60 lead. With the win, LSU is now 13-15 overall and 2-13 in SEC play. Next up the Tigers will travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30pm CT. The contest will be televised on the SEC Network. Photo Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Photo Below By: Jonathan Mailhes *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication! Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness Da Boot Sports 2/19/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Kent Lowe BATON ROUGE – South Carolina opened Saturday’s basketball game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center by making its first five three-point attempts and LSU was never really able to recover, falling 82-73, to the Gamecocks. Carolina made 8-of-16 distance shots in the first half and 15-of-32 for the game and seemed to get keep shots when LSU was trying to rally in the second half. It was South Carolina’s third league win and all have been on the road this season. LSU falls to 12-15 and 1-13 in the league. The loss wiped out a strong performance by LSU’s Cam Hayes, who equaled his career high with 25 points. His overall line was extremely strong in 34 minutes, hitting 8-of-15 shots, including 4-of-8 at the three-point line with five free throws, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. KJ Williams added 14 points and Derek Fountain had 13. LSU only turned the ball over six times, a season low, after 19 turnovers on Tuesday at Georgia, but shot 26-of-62 (41.9%) for the game with seven treys and just 14-of-26 from the free throw line. South Carolina finished at 46.3 percent (25-of-54) with the 15 treys and equally hurtful, 17-of-18 at the charity stripe. Both Gregory “GG” Jackson II and Meechie Johnson had 20 points apiece for Carolina with Johnson hitting five treys and Jackson four. Jacobi Wright had five treys in scoring 18 points and Hayden Brown had 16. The teams had 36 rebounds each and LSU had a 16-9 advantage in offensive rebounds, but only a 23-16 plus margin in second chance points. With the five opening threes, South Carolina jumped out to a 15-5 advantage 4:30 into the contest. LSU twice cut it to one point at 22-21 and 25-24 and 32-31 in the first half and went to the dressing room, down, 36-31. The Gamecocks came out and hit two treys early in the half to build the lead back to nine, and LSU was never really able to get the margin to within striking distance the rest of the way. LSU returns to the Maravich Center on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. against Vanderbilt. Tickets are available at LSUTix.net. LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon Opening Statement… “Not a whole lot to say. Obviously, it was a very disappointing afternoon. Give credit to South Carolina, they had great energy and shot the ball incredibly well from the three-point line and that was ultimately the difference in the game. You look at a lot of the other statistical categories that were fairly favorable to us, but we were minus 24 points from behind the three-point line and thought they had the energy and played with the urgency that was necessary to win this game, so give them great credit.” On the first half... “I think it is just, again from a coaching standpoint, it is your responsibility whether you are making shots or what have you, you have got to get your transition defense set. Have to close out and run guys off the three-point line. We thought the two biggest keys for us from a defensive standpoint would be defending the three, where you look at guys like (Jacobi) Wright and Meechie Johnson who have been shooting it at a really good clip here lately, you know how capable GG (Gregory) Jackson II is there. Then also the defensive rebounds, I think in their last five games, (Josh) Gray, (Hayden) Brown and Jackson were around nine to 10 offensive rebounds a game. Clearly, we didn’t get the job done. I thought we allowed some missed opportunities to finish at the basket to turn into open threes for them in transition and they made us pay. They started five-for-five, they went three-for their next-16, which enabled us to get back into the game there in the first half. Unfortunately, we were not able to convert at the free-throw lines or some layups there. We come in down five and then second half, right back, seven-of-16 from three, just hard to win games when teams shoot it that well from behind the arc. It’s our responsibility to make them miss is the bottom line. On the play of Cam Hayes… “When you play hard and you are locked in and focused, it really carries over to every area of the game. You’ll look and see he had 25 points on just 15 shots, so that’s really efficient, four-of-eight from three. He also had eight defensive rebounds, he also had four assists and three steals. I thought he was really locked in and impacted the game at both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, we were not able to do enough in other areas to give ourselves a chance to win.” South Carolina Head Coach Lamont Paris Opening Statement “What a great win for our guys. It’s probably the best game they’ve (South Carolina) played with everything involved, from shooting performance to how we generated shots. I’m really happy with our performance.” On cleaning up the team’s performance in the second half… “The first half, we missed a lot of stuff around the basket. ‘GG’ (Gregory Jackson II) had a layup in transition that he missed, Josh (Gray) got blocked on a dunk and Hayden (Brown) got down and around the basket two times and didn’t get anything out of it. There were opportunities there and we also gave up 15 second-chance points in the first half. We did a better job in the second half of sewing that stuff up.” On if he believes that hitting early shots has a positive effect on the team… “There’s no doubt. As long as I’ve done it, that’s how it goes. You get off to a good start and the guys feel good. The rim looks bigger, everyone’s talked about that. If you look at Jacobi (Wright) today, he goes bang-bang-bang with three three pointers in succession and he felt good. Then, he didn’t get a shot for a while and he takes one in the second half and he barely drew iron. It’s not even just you. I think that if you see your teammates making a bunch of shots and often times that inspires you and you know that the lids not on the rim anymore, so you can shoot the ball as well.” Da Boot Sports 2/15/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil ATHENS, GA - LSU went into Stegeman Coliseum in Athens on Tuesday night hoping to come away with a victory to snap their 11 game skid, but the Bulldogs made the plays late in the game to defeat the Bayou Bengals, 65-63. Down by six with 3:43 left in the contest, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to grab a 63-62 lead on a KJ Williams jumper with 11 seconds left. Georgia's Justin Hill scored on a quick layup giving the Bulldogs the lead with seven seconds remaining on the clock. Hill was then fouled with one second remaining after stealing LSU's inbound pass at half court. He sank one of both of his free throws to clinch the 65-63 win. “Disappointed. It’s my fault. I wish I could have done a better job for them down the stretch,” said LSU Coach Matt McMahon. “I thought we really executed; KJ (Williams) made a great play to finish there. You know, hindsight is always 20/20, call a timeout in that situation and use the last timeout, but you’ll see in the clip we just didn’t have great discipline in the gaps on that last drive. KJ made a great play to come over and wall up, but they were able to finish. Proud of our guys’ fight. I thought we really competed at a much higher level than we did on Saturday and gave ourselves a chance. The 19 turnovers, and in the second half, Georgia was 12-for-15 from two-point range. I thought that was really the difference.” A three pointer by Tyrell Ward gave the Tigers a 12-11 lead at the 11:07 mark in the first half. LSU then took control of the game, but was held scoreless over the final 4:35 of the half allowing Georgia to cut a seven point lead to two, as the Tigers held on to a 28-26 lead at the break. The Tigers continued to cling to their lead early in the second half until the Bulldogs tied the game, 35-35 at the 14:27 mark before taking the lead, 39-35, during an 8-0 run. The game turned into a back and forth contest over the next six minutes with three ties and five lead changes. With the game even at 46-46, Jabri Abdur-Rahim hit a three pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead with 8:46 left, a lead that Georgia would hang onto until 11 seconds left. The Tigers refused to quit with Georgia leading by eight, 57-49 with 6:09 left on the clock, going on a 14-5 run culminating with KJ Williams' jumper to give LSU the lead with 11 seconds remaining. KJ Williams led the Tigers with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Jalen Reed finished with 9 points, Derek Fountain added 8, Adam Miller and Justice Hill each scored 6. Next up, LSU, now 12-14 overall/1-12 in the SEC, will host South Carolina in the PMAC on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 12:00pm CST. *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring our publication! Da Boot Sports supports Autism Awareness Da Boot Sports 2/12/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Kent Lowe BATON ROUGE – The LSU basketball team was unable to get anything going in the first 20 minutes, dropping a 74-62 decision to Texas A&M Saturday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU falls below .500 for the first time in the season at 12-13 and drops to 1-11 in the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M, with its second win over LSU, runs its record to 10-2 in the league in second place and 18-7 overall. Sophomore Adam Miller (18) and freshman Tyrell Ward (15) combined for 33 of LSU’s 62 points as LSU played maybe their best 20 minutes in the second half, making 16-of-30 shots (53.3%) and 7-of-15 at the arc (46.7%). Texas A&M dominated the first 20 minutes jumping out to a 10-2 lead and then 17-2 in the first nine minutes as LSU could not put together buckets, shooting just 6-of-23 (26.1%) and 3-of-14 from the arc, while A&M was 12-of-23 in the first half (52.2%) and 6-of-9 from the arc (66.7%). A&M was 11-of-13 at the free throw line as well. A&M led by as much as 29 in the first half and by 41-17 at the halftime intermission. LSU came out with a new fire in the second half, however, and slowly tried to whittle away at the A&M advantage, cutting the game to 16 points 2:30 in and to 12 on a Miller three-pointer, 51-39, with 12:08 to play. Even though the Tigers could not keep A&M from getting points, the Tigers continued to battle and Miller’s three-pointer with 4:08 to play put LSU within eight at 61-53. That would be the first of four times the Tigers cut the game to eight in the final minutes before A&M pushed it out to the final 12-point deficit. LSU finished the game at 41.5 percent (22-of-53) and 10-of-29 from the arc (34.5%). A&M finished the game at 20-of-42 (47.6%) with eight treys and 26-of-32 at the free throw line. LSU out rebounded A&M, 30-12, and after giving up 42 points in the paint in the first meeting, had a 22-18 advantage on the Aggies in this game. Wade Taylor IV had 23 points to lead Texas A&M, while Dexter Dennis had 13 and Tyrece Radford 12. LSU must turn around quickly as they leave Monday for a Tuesday 7:30 p.m. game in Athens against the University of Georgia. --- LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon Opening Statement… “Great win for Texas A&M. I have a lot of respect for how they have handled their season. I know they struggled a little bit in early November but man, they just embody everything you want your team to be. They play their tail off, they are physical and tough, they are connected. They play for each other. Every player on their team is a star in their role and you just have a lot of respect for that. In the first half, obviously it’s incredibly disappointing. I just don’t understand not coming out ready to play. I thought we missed some easy ones there early around the basket. We missed a layup, we missed a couple of threes and we let that dictate our defensive energy, intensity and attention to detail. They just carved us up there. Obviously, I’m not going to sit here and talk about the second half, that’s how you should play. I thought our guys came out and played with a lot of passion, energy and toughness. It was probably our most efficient offensive half of SEC play. It’s going to be hard to win when you don’t give yourself a chance there in the first half.” On the main differences between the first and second half… “Energy, effort, toughness, maybe some pride too. All those things that are the price of admission. What a privilege it is to put the jersey on, coach here. You have got to put everything you have into it.” On the play of Tyrell Ward, Shawn Phillips Jr. and Jalen Reed… “I’ve been really pleased with their progression. I thought Tyrell (Ward) played extremely hard, made a few mistakes on the defensive end but that is going to happen. I’m an easy coach to play for. You just play your tail off and be about the team and we will live with the mistakes and coach and teach them to get better. I think he did some good things for us tonight and has really stepped forward there. Shawn Phillips, I love his passion. He really cares. It means a lot to him. He is a lot of growing and learning to do, but I know it means a lot to him. Really cares. When you have a guy there at seven feet with his length, he can move. He will just keep getting better and better. I thought Jalen (Reed) came in, gets five rebounds, had a really nice drive and finish and showed some emotion. I think those three continue to get better every time out.” LSU Guard Adam Miller On the energy exerted in the second half … “A lot of energy, but it is not like we were here in the first half, so that is how you are supposed to feel after a game. You should feel wiped out. We didn’t play 40 minutes, we played 20 minutes. If we would have played 40 minutes, we probably would have been more tired than this. We exerted a lot more energy than we did in the first half, not just on the court, but with our communication, picking each other up. The intangibles in the game were picked up in the second half. I think we won the second half with points. It is kind of like a cycle now that we have to break. We just have to lead by example, keep pushing each other. It is kind of hard, I feel like as a team, we come here every day. If you come here and see our practices, we practice hard every day. It is just the little things. We just have to put it together. I feel like it is on the players, not on the coaching staff or anything. The players just chose to play 20 minutes today, myself also.” On the freshmen’s growth … “I think the upperclassmen have to lead, show the freshmen class and the younger guys how things are supposed to be done. I feel like we have to continue to grow in that area, to continue to get these guys ready. I feel like Tyrell (Ward) did a great job. Ever since he got here, he puts in extra work. I am not surprised for him to take advantage of the opportunity. We have some hard-working freshmen. Shawn Phillips, he plays his heart out… he was the guy that got us going in the second half. He came in here, all around the locker room. The attitude he put on, he showed us that we have a guy like that who wants to play. As upperclassmen, he is pouring his heart out to us and it ignited our fire for us in the second half. The freshmen class, like Jalen Reed, I feel like they take advantage of their opportunities, and they are going to keep growing. We just have to keep leading them, believing them.” LSU Forward Tyrell Ward On his personal growth… “I would just say I was waiting for my opportunity and not getting impatient because if I were to rush my opportunity to happen, it would not happen this way. Just staying consistent with my habits, like working, being the first one out for every game, being first and last for every practice. The little things like that will carry over, no matter what.” On his offensive aggressiveness … “I feel like I always have been capable of doing it, just like I said before, just waiting on my opportunity and not forcing anything, taking my defense good.” --- Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams On the end of the first half… “I think their [LSU] sixth basket was at the buzzer on three over there away from us, but there was a long time that they were at one basket. Then they were at two baskets. Then I think at the fourth media timeout, they were at four baskets and there was a period of time that the two free throws were their points along with one basket. We were locked into what we were doing. We knew what they were doing and even as they began to make adjustments to their plan, our guys were sensing it. We needed to lock in and do this.” Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 2/8/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Kent Lowe STARKVILLE, MS. – Despite multiple 10-0 scoring runs by the Tigers in the first half, LSU Basketball fell on the road to Mississippi State, 64-53, on Wednesday night in Humphrey Coliseum.LSU goes to 12-12 overall and 1-10 in conference play while Mississippi State improves to 16-8 overall and 4-7 in the SEC. After starting the game down 10-0, the Tigers made back-to-back 10-0 scoring runs of their own to tie the game and then take a 20-14 with 8:21 remaining in the first half. However, Mississippi State would respond with a 11-2 scoring run to to end the half and take a 25-22 lead at the break. In the second half, the Bulldogs continued to score at will, and combined with the run they put together at the end of the first half, had a 20-3 scoring run and built a 34-23 lead with 15:42 remaining in the game. In addition to the scoring runs, a familiar problem plagued the Tigers: turnovers. LSU turned the ball over 15 times which led to 20 points off turnovers for the Bulldogs. “Really tough to go on the road and start a game down 10-0 against a team that is this good defensively. So, credit to Mississippi State for that, ” said head coach Matt McMahon. “Then, we were up 22-16 there, credit to our guys, we really fought back. I thought our half court defense in the first half was terrific. They (State) scored 15 of their 25 off our turnovers or off offensive rebounds. Then, we did not finish the half in strong fashion. We could not score. Credit to them there. Then a couple unfortunate bounces there, almost had a shot clock violation that turned into a three-point play there to end the half. Then to start the second half, I thought they just came out and punched us in the face and we were unable to respond.” KJ Williams led the Tigers in both scoring and rebounding, finishing with 11 points and five boards. Adam Miller and Derek Fountain both added 10 points as well. LSU shot 20-47 on field goals (42%) and 7-21 on threes for the game. For the Bulldogs, D.J. Jeffries led the team in scoring, finishing the night with 18 points and seven rebounds. Shakeel Moore added 13 points of his own and Tolu Smith had 10 points and seven rebounds as well. Mississippi State finished 26-50 on field goals (52%) and 6-16 from the arc. The Bulldogs shot 65% on field goals in the second half as they came away with the conference win. “I thought our half court defense in the first half was fantastic. We were flying around; guys were in gaps,” said McMahon. “After they hit the two threes to start the game, they (State) didn’t make another three the rest of the half. The second half, however, our half court defense really let us down. They executed well, but you are not going to win on the road when your opponent shoots 65 percent, especially as difficult as it is for us to score the ball.” The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday as they host Texas A&M in the PMAC at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.” Tickets are available at LSUTix.net. Da Boot Sports 2/4/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Kent Lowe BATON ROUGE – The LSU men’s basketball team put a tremendous fight against No. 4 Alabama but couldn’t make enough plays to get the victory, falling 79-69, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Saturday afternoon. The Tigers fall to 12-11 overall, 1-9 in the SEC, while Alabama is now at 20-3, 10-0 in the league. LSU played hard throughout, trying to erase the memory of the 40-point loss some three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa. LSU never allowed the Tide to get out by more than 12 points in the game and the Tigers cut the deficit to just two points three times in the second half, at 50-48 with 15:48 to play, 53-51 with 14:39 to go and 56-54 with 13:09 to play. But after Adam Miller’s three-pointer that made it 56-54 in favor of Alabama, the Tide got a three-pointer and after an LSU miss pushed the margin back out to seven and LSU never got closer than six the rest of the game. LSU junior Derek Fountain had by far his best game as a collegiate, scoring 26 points in 35 minutes, making 6-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-3 from the arc and 12-of-15 at the free throw line as he drew a total of nine fouls. Fountain, whose previous career high was as a freshman ironically in the Maravich Center as a Mississippi State Bulldog against LSU, was 20. Fountain also had two assists, no turnovers and blocked four shots. Junior Cam Hayes also had a good game with 15 points and a co-high eight boards in 28 minutes, with three treys for LSU. Rylan Griffen and Noah Clowney each had 14 points to lead Alabama’s five in double figures with Mark Sears and Nimari Burnett each getting 13. Brandon Miller had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Both teams played pretty clean basketball with LSU having its second lowest turnover number of the season at eight, while Alabama turned it over nine times. LSU had a 7-3 advantage in points off turnovers. The Tigers out rebounded Alabama, 40-35, and had for the third straight game an advantage in offensive rebounds of 13-4, but it only resulted in a 6-4 advantage in second chance points. Alabama shot 44.8 percent for the game (26-of-58), including 53.3 percent (16-of-30) in the first half when they opened up a 44-37 halftime lead. LSU shot just 30.6 percent for the game (19-of-62) with seven treys. Both teams were good at the foul line, with Alabama making 14-of-15 (93.3%) and LSU finishing 24-of-31 (77.4%) LSU returns to the road on Wednesday night to face Mississippi State in Starkville, before a Saturday night 7:30 p.m. game against Texas A&M. Photos Below By: Grant Jarreau |
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