After a pair of road losses against two ranked teams, wanted to get back on the winning side at home.
That hope was extinguished almost from the onset as the Tigers were thoroughly outplayed by Mississippi State, losing 80-66 on Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Bulldogs led 13-3 after three minutes and never lost control of the game.
“They were the aggressor,†LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “Two teams desperate for a win, and they played with a sense of urgency that we were unable to match.â€
LSU (13-8, 1-7 SEC) was led by Max Mackinnon with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and Dedan Thomas had 14 points, four assists and zero turnovers. Mississippi State (11-10, 3-5), which entered on a five-game losing streak, was led by Josh Hubbard with 15 points.
LSU got off to its worst start since its 10-point home loss to South Carolina on Jan. 6, when it was down 24-5 after about six minutes. Against Mississippi State, LSU trailed 27-9 with 11:35 remaining in the first half.
McMahon said he thought his group’s preparation was good. He said the team had “great spirit" at shootaround, but for “whatever reason†it wasn’t able to translate that in the game.
The fourth-year coach was forced to call his first timeout when his team went down 17-5 with 14:46 left in the first half. At halftime, the Tigers were down 44-21, scoring a season low in the first half.
The flat opening was instigated by poor defensive rebounding. In the first three minutes, Mississippi State grabbed four offensive rebounds. At halftime, the Bulldogs had outrebounded LSU 26-14.
Six players on Mississippi State buried at least one 3-pointer in the first half, as it finished the half 7 of 14 from beyond the arc. Hubbard was the last player to get a 3-pointer, making a contested step-back jumper.
Bulldogs center Quincy Ballard led the team in scoring with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting at halftime. Five other players scored at least four points.
McMahon said Mississippi State’s 3-point shooting and physicality led to the huge deficit.
“If you're going to get down like that, ... you got to convert offensively, get out in transition, knock down some 3s," McMahon said. "Actually, to finish the first half, we had seven consecutive stops, and during that (span) we cut into the lead by two points because we couldn't score. We couldn't score there. And on a night where we actually had 12 steals for 16 turnovers, we just weren't able to convert those into enough points.â€
There seemed to be a lid on the basket as the Tigers missed numerous open jump shots. They were 9 of 28 from the field and 1 of 10 from the 3-point line before the second half. They were also 2 of 8 from the free-throw line. LSU finished the game 12 of 23 on free throws.
Thomas tried to create off the dribble, but he was forced to pass early because a second defender was put on him when he used a screen. He was 3 of 7 for seven points in the first half.
Outside of Thomas, the offense was barreling into the paint for difficult layups and some missed open jumpers.
Mike Nwoko, who was playing against his former team, had a couple of interior scores early but didn’t leave an imprint as a rebounder. He had four points and one rebound in 17 minutes. Sutton was 0 of 5 from the field. The Omaha transfer finished with four points on 1-of-7 shooting and two rebounds. Mackinnon was 1 of 3 for two points at halftime.
LSU received a smattering of boos at the 3:25 mark after a pair of missed free throws by Pablo Tamba as the team was down 44-17. When it entered the locker room at halftime, fans gave a louder collection of jeers.
Guard Jalen Reece and center Robert Miller replaced Sutton and Nwoko to start the second half. A 6-0 run developed after Thomas and Mackinnon drilled 3-pointers to make the score 50-32 with 16:08 left.
After the mini run, Miller was given a Flagrant 1 foul once the referees saw what happened on defense before a 3-pointer earlier. After Hubbard fell to the ground after a missed layup, Miller hit him in the face. That gave Hubbard two free throws and Mississippi State possession.
LSU’s second half saw improved effort and shot-making, but not nearly enough to have a comeback. Mackinnon scored 13 points in the second half.
The Tigers outscored Mississippi State 45-36 in the final 20 minutes.
LSU’s next game is against South Carolina at 5 p.m. Saturday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.