dagger 3-pointer in overtime was fitting.
It was the type of open look that has struggled to make during its three-game losing streak entering South Carolina.
After the LSU guard helped dribble through a full-court press, he was the final recipient of a pass after a trapping South Carolina defense. Mackinnon drained his right corner jumper with 21 seconds left, giving his team a four-point lead in its eventual 92-87 overtime victory Saturday against the Gamecocks at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
FINAL SCORE
— Toyloy Brown III (@TJ3rd_)
LSU 92
South Carolina 87
Max Mackinnon, who had 15 points and a season-high 8 assists, drills this clutch 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 4-point lead in OT.
Nice job by the team handling the full-court pressure of South Carolina
STORY:
The Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak and captured their first road SEC win.
Success from the 3-point line has eluded LSU (14-8, 2-7 SEC) recently. Not only had the Tigers shot a low percentage, but there was a large discrepancy in total makes compared to their opponent.
“For us, our biggest challenge the last three games from behind the 3-point line, we've been minus 18, minus 18 and minus 21 points,” coach Matt McMahon said in the press conference. “You can't win like that. Tonight, we're even and gave ourselves a better chance to win because of it.”
LSU made 9 of 22 from beyond the arc compared to the 9 of 24 by South Carolina (11-11, 2-7). In the Tigers' three previous games combined, they averaged 3.3 made 3-pointers per game on 21.7%. Their opponents made 9.7 on 41.4%.
Mackinnon, LSU’s top shooter at 40.8%, made 3 of 6 3s and finished the game with 15 points and a season-high eight assists. The next best marksman was Rashad King, replacing injured point guard Dedan Thomas in the starting lineup. The senior made 3 of 6 from long range.
“I just thought Rashad King was terrific,” McMahon said on the LSU sports radio network. “Not only scoring it, he drew six fouls, he got seven rebounds, only one turnover.”
PJ Carter was the last player to make multiple 3-pointers. The Memphis transfer re-entered McMahon’s eight-man rotation and made 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He had eight points in a season-high 23 minutes. The last time he played more than four minutes was Jan. 6, when LSU lost by 10 points in its first meeting against South Carolina.
McMahon admitted after a 14-point home loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday that LSU is “not an elite 3-point shooting team” and is unlikely to outshoot conference opponents. However, the fourth-year coach wants a healthy balance of deep-range production so that its preferred method of points in the paint is effective. Center Mike Nwoko had 21 points, and forward Marquel Sutton had 16 against South Carolina.
Even without Thomas, who re-aggravated his lower left leg injury from Jan. 2, LSU’s outside scorers have faith in their range.
“Coach McMahon, you know, he instills a lot in us,” King said on the LSU sports radio network. “We practice all these shots every day, so we just got to come out there and execute. And that's what we did tonight. Got the win.”