LSU drops SEC opener to Vanderbilt, losing first game at home this season
LSU drops SEC opener to Vanderbilt, losing first game at home this season
Freshman Robert Miller felt the physicality of Southeastern Conference play.
The 6-foot-10, 220-pound LSU forward was alone facing the girth of Vanderbilt player Jaylen Carey, who is 265 pounds.
Carey, a sophomore, bumped Miller and finished the and-one post move to give Vanderbilt a 69-63 lead with 2:49 left in the game.
LSU (11-3, 0-1 SEC) was not able to string together enough scores and lost to Vanderbilt 80-72 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday. The Tigers are no longer unbeaten at home after winning its first nine. This is also the first SEC opener loss in the three years under coach Matt McMahon.
Senior Cam Carter finished with 22 points, making four 3-pointers. Fifth-year senior Jordan Sears had 17 points and made all eight of his free throws.
McMahon’s biggest concern was limiting turnovers against the Commodores. Entering the game, Vanderbilt was fourth in the nation in steals per game (10.8) and fifth in turnover margin at +6.8.
Vanderbilt’s strength was evident in the first half. McMahon said the Commodores’ “pressure really bothered” his team.
At halftime, Vanderbilt (13-1, 1-0) led 34-27 and had only three turnovers compared to LSU’s 11.
“Overall ball security,” McMahon said. “Some of it was for decision-making, driving it into a lot of traffic, but that’s what Vanderbilt does. They do a good job gapping your spin dribble and turning you over. We got caught up in the air a couple times and threw passes away, and they made us pay.”
The Commodores had 15 points off turnovers, six offensive rebounds and 15 more field-goal attempts than LSU in the half. The Tigers trailed by as many as 13 points.
Carter described the half of basketball as the team’s “welcome to the SEC moment.”
Another struggle for LSU was its inability to get production from the bench. The Tigers’ four substitutes had 0 points and shot only once in the first half. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, had 17 bench points. The Tigers finished the game with eight bench points.
Vanderbilt’s star off the bench Jason Edwards is third in the SEC in scoring (18.8 points) and leads the conference in usage rate at 33.7%. He only had three points in the half after playing eight minutes after going to the locker room and then returning. He finished with 12 points.
LSU’s comeback pursuit started in the second half once possessions were not handed over to Vanderbilt. LSU had only four of its 15 turnovers in the second half.
Corey Chest left an imprint on the game for LSU. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
Sears was an early instigator of offense in the second half, scoring six points in the first four minutes. Two field goals came at the rim thanks to physical drives, and he made a living at getting free throws.
Carter, a Kansas State transfer, made a pair of off-the-dribble 3s and thrived when pushing the pace after missed shots. He scored 15 points and made 6 of 11 shots in the last 20 minutes.
Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington complimented Carter’s shot-making ability.
