The LSU Basketball team entered Saturday night with a chance to finally return to the win column against a struggling Oklahoma team. The Tigers faced a ton of adversity yet, Cam Carter and Daimion Collins lifted the team to victory.
Before the game even started LSU took a massive blow as Corey Chest was questionable to play as he was dealing with back spasms which kept him out for the first half. Losing Chest was a massive blow for the Tigers as he’s been the Tigers best rounder and interior defender.
Early on in the first half, it looked like Oklahoma may run away with the game as they took a 10 point lead while the Tigers couldn’t find a rhythm from three. Dji Bailey then started to take over the game making 4 of 5 field goal attempts and all three of his three point attempts to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 6 going into the half.
The story of the first half was struggles shooting the three and allowing too many second chance opportunities. Aside from Dji Bailey, LSU made just 1 of 12 attempts from deep but, Oklahoma’s 2 for 11 shooting from deep kept LSU in the game. The Sooners were able to grab five offensive rebounds which allowed them to continue to beat LSU on the inside.
The second half was far and away the most entertaining half of the year as LSU and Oklahoma went back and forth trading leads. Cam Carter and Daimion Collins were on fire the entire second half powering the Tigers offense but, Collins fouled out leaving the final five minutes in Carter’s hands.
Daimion Collins set a new career high with 22 points giving the Tigers a massive second half. Dji Bailey was massive for the Tigers in the first half scoring 11 points while he finished the game with 13 points. Cam Carter won the game himself in the second half with 29 points.
Jordan Sears struggled mightily once again for the Tigers with a scoreless showing. The biggest difference in this game was on the glass as Oklahoma beat LSU on the glass by more than 15 rebound yet, the Tigers won the game.
For Matt McMahon, this is a massive win as it eases some of the pressure he’s facing from the fanbase. The Tigers will look to carry this momentum forward the rest of the way as they look to claw their way into the NCAA Tournament picture.