LSU basketball survives comeback bid, stops Georgia at the buzzer in another one-point win
LSU basketball had been the comeback king recently, but on Tuesday night the Tigers found themselves in an unfamiliar role as the team defending the comeback instead of leading it. They hold off a Georgia charge to win 67-66 at Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU led Georgia by 15 points with just under a second remaining in the first half when a Mwani Wilkinson block landed out of bounds, But on the ensuing inbound play, the Tigers allowed the Bulldogs to make a mid-range shot to beat the buzzer and cut the lead to 13.
That single shot seemed to shift momentum as Georgia slowly dug into the LSU lead, cutting the deficit to 10, then eight, then four. The Bulldogs took the lead with just over five minutes remaining.
What to Know: LSU basketball vs. Georgia: Get TV channel, tip-off time, and betting information here
Still, the Tigers battled back. LSU's defense tightened, forcing UGA to go more than two minutes without scoring, and the offense picked up just enough: taking the lead back with under 40 seconds left. After Georgia retook the lead, the Tigers responded by drawing a foul and making both free throws with under 16 seconds left for the final lead change.
The Bulldogs had two more shots as the clock wound down, but neither fell as LSU (15-13, 7-8) survived Georgia (15-13, 5-10).
Will Baker starts fast, comes up clutch
Early on, it looked as if Baker had returned to being his January self, scoring 10 straight points in the opening minutes. But then he cooled off. He missed every shot he took for about 36 minutes of game time and even missed his free throws.
Still, with 15.8 seconds to play and LSU down by one, it was Baker who drew the foul and knocked down both free throws to take the lead for good. He then helped defend on Georgia's final possession.
Threes start falling again
Just three days after one of their worst shooting performances of the season, the Tigers not only returned to shooting form from beyond the arc, they exceeded it.
LSU opened the first half by making 7 of 10 from deep, and although the Tigers cooled off in the second, they still finished shooting 50% from three for the game.
Last Time They Met: LSU basketball drops another heartbreaker, falls to Georgia at the buzzer
Injury updates
After being limited in Saturday's loss and leaving with an injury, forward Tyrell Ward returned to start and played 22 minutes.
Elsewhere, senior transfers Trae Hannibal and Hunter Dean were shaken up through inadvertent contact on the defensive end. While both stayed in the game, both — especially Dean — played through visible pain.
What's next
LSU travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday.
LSU basketball vs. Georgia Live Scores and Updates
This article originally appeared on The Courier: LSU basketball survives Georgia at the buzzer for win
