Instant Analysis: LSU Crumbles Against Auburn, Fall 67-49

It was another challenging loss for Matt McMahon and his LSU Tigers, with their first half deficit proving to be too much to overcome in the final 20 minutes, falling to Auburn 67-49 Wednesday night in the PMAC.

For LSU, their inefficiency on offense once again plagued any chances of walking away with a victory. Just when things appeared to be going their way in the second half, a dry spell halted any immediate success.

A quick 11-2 run to start the second half showed promise, but ultimately couldn’t keep up with the offensive pace of Auburn to close things out.

Here are the quick hits from Wednesday night’s loss:

Early Offensive Woes

The Tigers had their worst offensive half of the season in every aspect against Auburn through the first 20 minutes. Shooting 7-for-27 (26%) from the field and 2-for-11 (18%) from three-point range, LSU totaled just 21 first half points.

Of the 21 points scored, 19 of them came from KJ Williams (12 points) and Trae Hannibal (7 points). Williams has been the heart and soul of this LSU squad through the first half of conference play and continues to look like an All-SEC guy, but his lack of help has been a major takeaway.

The Tigers simply aren’t built to go down early and fight back late. Their lack of offensive production doesn’t give them the luxury to put points on the board in a hurry through the final 20 minutes and it showed against Auburn.

Defensive Inconsistency

LSU struggled to guard Auburn from all three levels. With Allen Flanigan getting buckets from just about wherever he wanted and Jaylin Williams getting it done inside, this Auburn unit was a well oiled machine from everywhere.

Yes, Auburn looked solid, but a large portion of that can be due to LSU’s lack of defensive intensity. When the lead balloons to double-digits, it takes the life out of them in a hurry, with this group looking sluggish on that end of the floor.

It’s easy to harp on what LSU did wrong against Auburn, but there were many positives. Derek Fountain continues to be a defensive anchor for the Tigers. On Wednesday, he allowed defense to become offense early in the second half with a monstrous block propelling a Cam Hayes fast break to ignite the LSU crowd. It was just simply too little too late.

Rebounding Struggles Continue

It sounds like a broken record, but the Tigers continue to give up easy second chance buckets to opponents. On Wednesday, it was the same situation. With 11 offensive rebounds, many of them leading to extra points, LSU’s lack of intensity on the glass continues to be a thorn in their side.

KJ Williams and Derek Fountain continue to hold it down on the glass, but with no reinforcements to help, it makes it difficult to get things done inside. A bright spot was guard Justice Williams. The youngster earned the start on Wednesday and made an impact on both ends of the floor.

Williams’ box score may not jump off the page, but his playmaking efforts and effectiveness on the glass was a major plus for McMahon’s squad. Williams ended the night with six rebounds.

Final Thoughts

The Tigers are taking it one game at a time. A challenging stretch of SEC games ahead, McMahon’s group knows what they’re up against. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and as this unit figures out their identity, success will come.

Lack of effort and rebounding woes once again plagued this squad against a fiery Auburn squad, but the Tigers will be back in action on Saturday at 3pm where they will host No. 9 Tennessee.