Published Nov 22, 2019
LSU squanders 17-point lead, falls 80-78 to Utah State
Jimmy Smith  •  Death Valley Insider
Publisher/Analyst
Twitter
@JimmyDetail

LSU walked into halftime with a 44-30 lead over the No. 15 ranked Utah State Aggies, but porous defense and untimely stagnant offensive possessions was the perfect formula for an Aggies comeback.

Skylar Mays led the Tigers with 30 points on 10-13 shooting, including 5-6 from behind the arch and a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe. The Tigers as a team shot 47.5% from the field, while the Aggies were only able to muster 43.9% from the field, but were a vital 11-22 (50%) from behind the three-point stripe.

The Tigers jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game, after a pair of threes from Javonte Smart and Skylar Mays kicked things off. The Aggies trimmed the lead to 14-11 before the Tigers went on a 14-2 run and extending its lead to 28-13 eight minutes into the contest.

The Aggies were able to cut the Tigers lead to 9 before LSU was able to push it all the way up to 17 points, ultimately entering the break with a sizable 14-point advantage.

The Tigers were able to keep the comfortable double-digit cushion for the first 8 minutes of the second half, before Utah State began chipping away at its lead. With just 7:01 left in the game, the Aggies drilled a three to cut the LSU lead down to just six points at 69-63.

The Tigers were able to hold onto a little lead for the next few minutes of the contest before Utah State's Alphonso Anderson drained a three to tie the game up with 3:36 left on the clock.The Aggies built a three-point lead after an old fashioned three-point play gave them a 77-74 lead with just 3:01 left on the clock.

Senior Skylar Mays tried to put the team on his back and scored four straight points to give LSU a 78-77 lead. With just :57 seconds left on the clock, Utah State guard Sam Merrill sunk the Aggies' eleventh three-pointer of the night to give them a 80-78 lead, which is where things ended, sending LSU to 3-2 on the season.

Darius Days and Emmitt Williams put up a respectable 14 points on the night, while sophomore point guard Javonte Smart shot just 3-14 from the field, ending with 8 points.

The Tigers get back on the court Sunday for a road contest at Rhode Island, who is 4-1 and winners of three straight, after Friday's 60-47 victory over North Texas.