Tari Eason scored seven of his game-high 21 points in the final 2 1/2 minutes to lead No. 19 LSU to a 66-57 victory over Louisiana Tech in a nonconference game Saturday night in Bossier City, La.
The Tigers (11-0) trailed for most of the game, but Eason led a 14-2 run to finish the game. Darius Days added 13 points and 18 rebounds.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Amorie Archibald scored 13 points each and Exavian Christon added 11 to lead the Bulldogs (8-3), who made just one field goal in the final 10 minutes.
Louisiana Tech had won its last four games and had scored at least 78 points in each of its last eight games, but couldn’t maintain that streak against the stingiest scoring defense in the country (53.2).
Lofton made a layup to end the Bulldogs’ 7 1/2-minute field-goal drought and tie the score at 57 with 2:50 left.
Eason made a 3-pointer, a layup and a dunk to give LSU a 64-57 lead with 33 seconds left.
He scored four points and Days and Brandon Murray both made a 3-pointer during the Tigers’ 14-3 run to start the second half, giving them a 41-38 lead.
Keaston Willis’ 3-pointer tied the score and started an 8-0 run by the Bulldogs.
LSU pulled even on a 3-pointer by Xavier Pinson, then took a two-point lead midway through the half.
Archibald made five consecutive free throws to give Louisiana Tech a 55-52 lead.
A Pinson jumper and three points by Eason gave the Tigers a 57-55 lead.
Archibald made two 3-pointers as Louisiana Tech scored the first 11 points of the game.
Pinson’s 3-pointer provided LSU’s first points after a scoring drought of more than four minutes.
The Bulldogs increased the lead to 18-5 before Eric Gaines made two free throws to pull the Tigers within 23-17.
Louisiana Tech rebuilt the lead to 11 before Days scored the final three points to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 35-27 at halftime.
–Field Level Media