Georgia guard Justin Hill (11) drives the ball around LSU guard Mike Williams III (2) during an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
Louisiana’s Baton Rouge In the last seconds, Jalen Reed of LSU blocked Noah Thomasson’s attempt at the game-winning basket, and the Tigers managed to hold on for a 67-66 victory over Georgia on Tuesday night.
With 5:38 left in the game, the Bulldogs took their first lead since the initial few minutes of play, thanks to a 12-3 surge. Thomasson and Justin Hill both make 3-pointers to start and end the run.
Jordan Wright, who finished with 17 points for LSU and hit 10 of 11 free throws, got the rebound following Reed’s block right before the buzzer.
LSU 67, Georgia 66 LSU (15-13, 7-8 SEC) defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back games prior to suffering a 20-point defeat at home to Mississippi State in their most recent game.
Following Georgia’s late lead, Wright scored the next six points for LSU, and his steal set up Tyrell Ward’s fast-break layup, which gave the Tigers a 65-64 lead with two minutes remaining. With 29 seconds remaining, Hill made a jumper, and 14 seconds later, Will Baker made two free throws to round out the scoring for neither team.
For the Tigers, Reed added eight points and three blocks, while Baker scored twelve.
Approximately seven minutes into the game, Baker scored the first seven points in a 17-3 run that made it 23-10. This included a dunk and a basket after Derek Fountain’s block on the other end started the fast break. With 30 seconds remaining before halftime, Mwani Wilkinson’s three-pointer gave the Tigers their largest advantage at 40–25. With 16 minutes remaining, LSU was down six points after the Bulldogs scored 10 of the first 12 points of the second half while LSU committed two mistakes and went 0 for 5 from the floor.
With 16 points, Thomasson led the Bulldogs, and Hill chipped in with 11.
On January 24, Georgia (15-13, 5-10) defeated the Tigers 68-66 at home thanks to a three-point play that Russell Tchewa made with 2.3 seconds remaining in the game. Since then, the Bulldogs have dropped eight of nine games.
