Matt McMahon thanks LSU fans for support against Texas A&M

LSU and Texas A&M found themselves in a classic SEC battle on Saturday in Baton Rouge, with their game featuring four ties and seven lead changes. But the Aggies ended up getting the last laugh, defeating LSU on the Tigers’ home court 73-69.

Tigers head coach Matt McMahon has been encouraging LSU fans to come out and show their support for the basketball team this season, and they didn’t disappoint on Saturday, with over 9,000 fans in attendance at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. After the game, McMahon recognized the LSU faithful for their support and impact on Saturday’s game despite not securing the win.

“Yeah I think great atmosphere, great energy in the P-MAC,” McMahon said. “Really thankful for all the fans that came out and I thought they were really engaged and were doing everything in their power to will us to victory there down the stretch.”

LSU’s home-court advantage helped them head into halftime with a narrow 35-33 lead over Texas A&M, with fans definitely making an impact down the stretch as both teams traded blows in a back and forth second half.

Tigers’ forward Tyrell Ward made a layup with 4:09 remaining in the game to tie the game at 67-67, also scoring his 9th and 10th points on the night to become the fifth LSU player to score in double figures. But unfortunately for LSU, they would only score one more basket in the final four minutes of the game, with Texas A&M locking up on defense to leave the Bayou with a victory.

“We had out opportunities but we were unable to get the job done. But really thankful for the great fan support today and we’ll get back to work on Monday, coaches will get back to work tonight and tomorrow, and start preparing to get better as a team next week,” McMahon said.

LSU shot better than Texas A&M from the field, the three-point line, and the free-throw line on Saturday. But the Aggies’ work on the glass paid off for them and made a significant impact with a whopping 21 offensive rebounds and 27 second-chance points versus the Tigers.

Saturday’s loss drops the Tigers’ record to 11-7 on the season and 3-2 on conference play, already having surpassed their SEC win total from a season ago in year one under McMahon. As they’ll look to get back on the winning side of things Wednesday when they face Georgia on the road at 6:30 p.m. ET in a game airing on SEC Network.