Rewind: Auburn 98, LSU 75
Five Auburn players scored in double figures as LSU tied the school record with its 14th consecutive defeat in a 98-75 loss at the PMAC on Tuesday night.
TURNING POINT OF GAME
On two occasions in the second half, LSU tied the score – the last time at 47-47 on a dunk by Duop Reath. Auburn then scored on two of its next three possessions – a layup by Jared Harper and two foul shots by Anfernee McLemore. In that time, Reath missed a jumper and committed a turnover.
KEY STRETCH OF GAME
After falling behind by double digits, LSU closed within eight points at 62-54 on a 3-pointer by Antonio Blakeney with 11:42 remaining in the game. Auburn then put the game away by going on a 13-4 run. Ronnie Johnson made a field goal and three foul shots for Auburn. A basket by Danjel Purifoy gave Auburn a 73-58 lead with 8:32 to play. The only LSU points during this span came on field goals by Blakeney and Skylar Mays. LSU’s deficit was at least 13 points the rest of the game.
LSU’S PLAYER OF THE GAME
Blakeney had another excellent scoring night go for naught. For the fifth straight game, Blakeney scored at least 20 points as he finished with 29. Blakeney was 8-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-6 on 3-pointers. Blakeney, who had six rebounds and three steals, was 10-of-11 at the foul line. The ten made free throws were a season-high for Blakeney, who has scored 138 points in the past five games.
Blakeney’s comments: “Auburn drove on us and drove on us in the second half. They kept getting into the paint and kicking it out and getting into the paint and finishing. We turned the ball over a couple times, so we weren’t getting attempts. We feel like we can compete with every team. We just have to figure out a way to win the game.”
KEY TEAM STATISTICS
Auburn shot 52 percent from the field (33-of-64), including 45 percent on 3-pointers (14-of-31). The 14 treys were the second most for Auburn in a SEC game this season. Auburn knocked down 15 3-pointers earlier this season against Alabama. . .LSU made just 41 percent of its field goal attempts (24-of-59), including 36 percent on 3-pointers (8-of-22). . .Auburn outrebounded LSU 39-30. . .LSU committed 16 turnovers – nine being the result of Auburn steals. . .Auburn’s bench had an overwhelming 43-19 advantage in scoring.
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS
LSU
Antonio Blakeney: 29 points, 6 rebounds
Wayde Sims: 6 points, 8 rebounds
AUBURN
Ronnie Johnson: 17 points
Danjel Purifoy: 15 points, 7 rebounds
Bryce Brown: 15 points
T.J. Dunans: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Mustapha Heron: 10 points, 9 rebounds
NOTES
LSU’s starting lineup consisted of Reath and Aaron Epps in the post, Blakeney and Brandon Sampson on the wings and Mays at point guard. . .Reath had a rough night with just nine points and five rebounds in 34 minutes. Reath missed nine of his 13 field goal attempts. He committed four of LSU’s 16 turnovers. . .Epps had seven points and two rebounds in 12 minutes. . .Brandon Eddlestone had three points and two rebounds in 12 minutes. . .Sampson, who took only six shots, scored seven points. . .Mays and Jalyn Patterson were a combined 4-of-12 from the field and accounted for just nine points. Mays, who had four points, handed out four assists. . .Auburn scored ten straight points to go ahead 23-11 with 11:11 before halftime. Johnson scored four of Auburn’s ten points. . .LSU got back into the game by going on a 16-4 run. Blakeney scored four points and a three-point play by Reath tied the score at 27-27 with 6:34 left in the first half. . .Auburn held a 45-42 lead at halftime. . .LSU has allowed at least 90 points in nine of its 15 SEC games. . .The 23-point loss was the largest for LSU in a home game against Auburn. The margin of defeat was the largest for LSU against Auburn in 18 seasons. LSU lost at Auburn 80-54 in 1999. . .The 1966 and 1967 LSU teams also had 14-game losing streaks. . .All but three of the defeats in the current losing streak have been by at least ten points. . .LSU has lost 13 straight SEC games. LSU had a 14-game SEC losing streak spanning the 1998 and 1999 seasons. . .LSU is 9-18 overall, 1-14 in the SEC. . .Auburn is 17-11 overall, 6-9 in the SEC. . .The paid attendance was 6,638. The actual crowd was a little more than 2,000.
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
Coach Johnny Jones’ comments: “We got down in the first half and fought back. In the second half, Auburn’s offensive rebounds killed us. Turnovers certainly hurt and created easy scoring opportunities for them. They got in a rhythm and the shooters they had on the floor exploded. Most teams have played better than they generally do on the offensive end of the floor against us. It’s been tough because we haven’t been able to give them resistance throughout. We’re hopeful that at some point things will click defensively and we will get enough stops and score enough points to be a difference.”
UP NEXT
LSU will play Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Central. The Bulldogs (15-12, 6-8) will play Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Thursday night. The LSU-Georgia game will be available on the SEC Network.