LSU Pulls Away Late from Mississippi State 69-65 to Win Second Straight

It was a game of runs in the PMAC Saturday night but one where LSU made the last push, pulling away from a scrappy Mississippi State team with a 69-65 win.

The win makes it two straight for the purple and gold to get back to .500 in SEC play, with a couple of key issues the team has addressed in practice having both good and bad influences on the game.

After getting down early 7-0, LSU (18-7, 6-6) would ride a 20-4 run over the next seven minutes to gain some momentum in the first half, even though seemingly nothing came easy early for either team offensively. But more than any other sport, good basketball teams can really flip a switch and ride the wave.

During LSU's big first half run, the Tigers would convert on 14 of their final 23 shots, finding a tremendous rhythm in transition and finally converting on some open looks in the half court.

Guard Xavier Pinson dictated the entire game while forward Tari Eason got going late in the half as well. Pinson would score 12 for the game while Eason poured in a team high 23 more but it was the improvement in one specific category that really helped LSU get into a good flow and build a lead.

One of the areas most concerning to Wade was the high level of turnovers the Tigers were committing in conference play, coughing up the ball nearly 18 times a game. On Saturday the Tigers committed just four in the first half but 14 for the game, while capitalizing on 18 Bulldogs mistakes for 20 points.

The other half of LSU's focus came with its defensive rebounding after Texas A&M grabbed 22 offensive rebounds earlier this week. Much like the turnovers, it was an area that helped build a big lead early only for it to come crashing down in the second half.

The Tigers jumped out to a 37-22 lead at the break but like most games it was a tale of two halves for the purple and gold. As good as LSU was at limiting turnovers and offensive rebounds in the first half, the Tigers were equally bad in the second half.

Mississippi State opened the second half on a 21-6 run to tie the game, with LSU committing five turnovers and allowing five offensive rebounds leading to 10 of those points. It was also the worst time for LSU to fall into a dry spell offensively, beginning the second half 2-of-13 from the floor.

A comfortable lead quickly turned into a heated back and forth, with Eason, Pinson and some strong play off the bench from Shareef O'Neal all contributing to LSU building its lead back up. A 13-2 run in a key area of the second half all came from buckets by Eason, Pinson and O'Neal.

Up next for the purple and gold is another home outing against a one win conference team in Georgia, currently in last place in the SEC.