Late miscues cost LSU in SEC opener, losing to Texas A&M

LSU was in a tight game with Texas A&M until the very end, but fell short, losing to the Aggies 75-72 Saturday night in College Station. The Tigers were without DJ Thomas, but head coach Matt McMahon refused to put that as an excuse, saying before the game that others needed to step up.

While Max Mackinnon had 20 points and Mike Nwoko had 21 points, it was not enough as the Aggies were able to force key turnovers in the final minutes as LSU sorely missed its go-to playmaker.

“I think coming in, number one, I really admire the courage and fight our players showed today,” McMahon said. “I thought our intentions were pure and the effort was tremendous. Unfortunately, we didn’t execute a couple of things as well as was required to win here on the road in College Station.

The first thing that stands out, I thought we defended the three-point line really well for the most part. A couple times, our offense put us at a disadvantage off turnovers that led to big threes. And then we knew going in, in their Power Five games, they were averaging 15 offensive rebounds. That’s the exact number they hit here tonight. Obviously, the stretch there, back-to-back-to-back turnovers late in the game, really cost us going down the stretch.”

Defensively, LSU forced the Aggies into a lot of tough shots, and A&M shot just 41.9 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from deep, but the Tigers allowed 15 offensive rebounds and 21 free throws, giving Texas A&M more chances.

Late in the game, the Tigers continued to fight, coming back from multiple double digit deficits with chances to take the lead in the final minute. Rashad King missed a wide open three, then Mike Nwoko missed a hook shot in the paint, then freshman Mazi Mosley missed a game-tying three at the buzzer on a good look.

“The other thing that really stood out to me was how our guys fought, scrapped, and clawed to get that one-point lead coming down the stretch,” McMahon said. “I thought our guys really executed. We got a wide-open three on the wing. We got a wide-open three up top that we didn’t convert, great looks.

Then they went zone with about 45 seconds to go. We were down one. The guys really executed, got Mike a touch there in the middle of the lane. We just weren’t able to convert it. Like I say, I admired the fight. We just have to execute at a higher level on the glass and from a ball-security standpoint.”

King had his best game of the season with ten points and Robert Miller also had a great second half, ending with eight points. Freshman Jalen Reece was forced to step into a tough spot without Thomas and he played 36 minutes, finishing with 4 points, seven assists, and three turnovers on 2-of-7 shooting.

LSU is back in action on Tuesday at home against South Carolina, but the biggest question is now getting Thomas back on the floor. The junior point guard leads LSU in points and assists but suffered a non-contact lower body injury in practice this week and the severity is still unknown.

Tuesday’s game against the worst team in the SEC is an absolute must win for the Tigers, with or without Thomas.