LSU basketball beats Arkansas to win first SEC game | LSU

Cam Carter was determined, dribbling down the court with his eyes glued to the hoop as he rose to shoot a transition 3-pointer.

The dead-eye shooter for LSU men’s basketball gave up and stayed true to his selfless spirit by making the right decision when a defender closed out well.

Carter tossed it to teammate Curtis Givens, who was ready to shoot on the right wing and drained the 3-pointer with just under five minutes left in the first half.

Making the right reads played a big role in the team’s 78-74 win over Arkansas on Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Carter finished with a season-high 27 points on 7-of-15 shooting. The Kansas State transfer also made 10 of 10 free throws. Jordan Sears had 17 points. Daimion Collins finished with seven points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

LSU’s offense was sluggish to start, missing its first seven shots. Corey Chest got the Tigers on the scoreboard with a baseline drive for a two-handed dunk at the 15:37 mark of the first half.

After the first field goal, LSU went on to miss six more straight shots. The team’s offense collected several offensive rebounds, five in the first seven minutes of the game, but could not capitalize.

Backup big man Derek Fountain kept the Tigers afloat as he attacked the hoop and was awarded the free kick. He made all six free throws he attempted.

The lid officially came off the basket for LSU after an impressive block by Robert Miller on Arkansas’ 7-2 big man Zvonimir Ivisic, sparking a fastbreak push for a transition 3-pointer by Jordan Sears. On the following offensive possession, LSU sophomore Mike Williams made a turnaround jumper in the paint to put LSU down 13-11 with 11:39 left in the first half.

Williams, who has not been part of the regular rotation, got early playing time in the absence of Vyctorius Miller, who was out with an ankle injury. The guard rolled his ankle in the first half of Saturday’s game against Ole Miss. Miller is the team’s third-leading scorer at 10.1 points per game. match.

Turnovers didn’t hit LSU early like it had in its previous SEC games — it had at least 10 first-half turnovers in its past three games. The Tigers had just six turnovers in the first 20 minutes against Arkansas.

When LSU tied it at 16, Arkansas went on a 12-0 run to go up 28-16 at the 7:02 mark of the half. Arkansas backup guard Johnell Davis made two of the team’s four 3-pointers.

Carter, not to be outdone, made LSU’s fourth and final 3-pointer of the half just before the buzzer. At halftime, LSU trailed just 36-34 after shooting 34% from the field compared to Arkansas’ 44%. The Tigers were aided by an impressive free throw shooting display, making all 10 of their attempts.

Tigers coach Matt McMahon decided to play Williams and Fountain more instead of redshirt freshman Chest and true freshman Givens. While both scored just six points, their timely scoring, defense and rebounding complemented the Tigers’ top players.

LSU grabbed its first lead at 38-36 after back-to-back scores in the first 55 seconds after halftime by Dji Bailey and Carter.

After LSU took a 43-39 lead, Arkansas went on an 11-0 run. The Tigers’ defense bent but never broke. Their best rim protector, Daimion Collins, helped lift the team’s home fans with explosive blocks.

Carter’s scoring ability also shined as he scored 18 points in the second half. His best basket was a mesmerizing stepback 3-pointer that came after the pump that got his defense flying before he hit the shot.

LSU’s next game is 7:30pm Saturday at Texas A&M.