Trae Hannibal scored 24 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists, helping LSU escape with an 84-80 victory over Missouri on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Trailing by as many as 21 points, Missouri got as close as 81-78 with six seconds to play on a 3-pointer by Noah Carter.
But LSU (17-14, 9-9 SEC) held on despite not making a field goal over the last 5:16. Hannibal made three free throws in the final five seconds to seal the win.
Tyrell Ward finished with 14 points while Hunter Dean (12), Mike Williams III (10) and Jordan Wright (10) also scored double figures for LSU.
Missouri (8-23, 0-18) couldn’t avoid its 18th consecutive loss despite 26 points from Sean East II. Carter scored 18 and Tamar Bates added 13.
Missouri, searching for its first win since Dec. 30, held a 35-29 lead at halftime, thanks in part to 53.6 percent shooting from the floor and a 10-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
LSU heated in the second half, going on a 14-0 run ignited by a 3-pointer from Dean.
Dean’s shot trimmed Missouri’s lead to 45-41. With 14:04 to go, Hannibal drove and scored to give the Tigers a 46-45 advantage.
Williams connected from 3-point range moments later for a 49-45 lead and LSU rolled from there to close the regular season on a high note.
Missouri played well in the opening half, leading 26-20 on a 3-pointer by Carter with 4:16 to go.
Ward’s jumper at the 3:50 mark cut the Missouri lead to 26-22 but LSU was never able to get the momentum back the remainder of the half.
Missouri went 3-for-3 from the floor over the final 2:24 of the first half, a stretch highlighted by a 3-pointer from Carter that extended the Missouri lead to 33-25 with 1:42 to go.
–Field Level Media