Dominant Second Half Effort Leads to LSU 69-53 Winning Effort Over Georgia Tech

It wasn't pretty early but LSU once again was able to lean on its active hands and defensive intensity to pull away from Georgia Tech 69-53.

Will Wade wanted to reset the Tigers' offense but it didn't look like the message was received against Georgia Tech. Some of that had to do with the activeness and sheer number of defenses the Yellow Jackets threw the Tigers but mostly it was LSU missing opportunities. Turnovers and an overall lack of rhythm in the half court really hurt the purple and gold in the first half.

One of the areas that has hurt this offense in spurts has been becoming too trigger happy from three and that was certainly the case Saturday night as the Tigers opened the game 3-for-19 from the field and 1-of-9 from three. During that time, LSU would go on a five minute scoring drought as Georgia Tech opened up a 24-9 advantage.

But the saving grace of LSU this season has been its defense and as the opening 20 minutes wound down, the Tigers press and defensive effort led to 15 Georgia Tech turnovers that kept LSU within striking distance. LSU would score 17 points off those turnovers and capitalize on 10-of-14 free throws to cap off an ugly offensive first half with an 8-0 run and cutting the Yellow Jackets lead to 34-30.

For LSU to have a chance at keeping up with Georgia Tech in the final 20 minutes that half court execution needed to improve and it certainly did with a devotion to controlling the paint. After shooting just 30% in the first half, the gameplan certainly changed out of the break as LSU really tried attacking the rim and drawing contact, something that really worked towards the end of the first half.

Improved play from the LSU guard was a must after a 2-for-12 start that included seven turnovers. What transpired was a 6-0 run right out of the break that included a three point play from Xavier Pinson and a three from Brandon Murray to give LSU its first lead of the game.

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Murray, Pinson and Eric Gaines would combine for 19 of LSU's second half points as the guards carried the load for much of the second half. Some masterful pickpocketing from Gaines led to transition points as LSU opened up the second half on an 18-7 run to seize a 48-41 advantage and never look back.

LSU would go on to force 24 turnovers overall but more importantly turn it into 33 points on the offensive end, a consistent fallback for this group this season. Defensive efforts from Alex Fudge and the three guards in particular couldn't go unnoticed.

What LSU really did well over the final 20 minutes was not settle for threes and attack the rim in transition and in the half court. Of the 41 second half points scored, 30 came in the paint as Tari Eason led the way with a career high 23 points and six rebounds while Pinson and Murray both scored double digits.

The 9-0 start extends LSU's best start to a season since 2008 and it'll be a pretty quick turnaround with the Tigers coming back to the PMAC on Tuesday to face Northwestern State.