Shorthanded LSU Shows Grit but Falls to Tennessee in Knoxville
Without junior point guard Dedan Thomas and senior guard Max Mackinnon, LSU entered Saturday’s matchup against Tennessee already facing an uphill battle. Thomas was ruled out for the season with a left foot injury just hours before tip-off, and Mackinnon was sidelined with a knee issue suffered in the Tigers’ previous game. That left LSU’s backcourt thin and their margin for error even thinner.
Still, the Tigers didn’t roll over. They fought.
They clawed. And for stretches, they looked like a team capable of pulling off a road upset.
But in the end, the size and depth of Tennessee proved too much, as LSU fell 73-63 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“I really love the spirit, the competitiveness, and some of the fight and toughness that was shown by our players,” LSU head coach Matt McMahon said postgame. “Obviously disappointed in the result, but I thought we had a lot of fight in us here tonight.”
A Tale of Two Halves for LSU
If LSU had played the first half like they did the second, this one might have ended differently. The Tigers came out cold, hitting just 2 of their first 14 shots and falling behind 23-11 early.
Pablo Tamba was aggressive out of the gate but struggled to finish at the rim. Marquel Sutton, LSU’s 6-9 forward, passed up open jumpers and missed his first four shots.
By halftime, he was scoreless with two rebounds and two fouls.
Despite the rough start, LSU managed to keep it close, trailing just 35-29 at the break.
Then came the second half-and a different LSU. The Tigers opened with four straight made field goals, three of them from deep.
Jalen Reece, who played all 40 minutes, capped the run with a left-wing three to tie the game at 40-40. It was part of a breakout performance for Reece, who notched a career-high 15 points and four assists, including 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc-an impressive mark for a player who came in shooting just 24% from deep this season.
Sutton, challenged by the coaching staff at halftime, responded in a big way. He scored all 15 of his points in the second half, attacking the rim with purpose and even knocking down a three. The fifth-year senior finished 6-of-11 from the field after the break and added nine rebounds to his stat line.
“I thought Marquel Sutton in the second half, tremendous effort,” McMahon said. “You know, we challenged him at halftime.
We needed his scoring. He came out and scored 15.”
LSU even grabbed a brief lead-46-43-after a smooth hook shot from Robert Miller with 13:29 to play. But the momentum didn’t last.
Tennessee’s Frontcourt Takes Over
While LSU’s guards kept them in it, Tennessee’s size ultimately tipped the scales. The Volunteers dominated the glass, outrebounding LSU by a staggering 24-10 margin in the first half and finishing +21 for the game.
The Vols got big-time production from their young bigs. Sophomore J.P.
Estrella was a force on both ends, scoring 16 points and protecting the rim with poise. Freshman Nate Ament, meanwhile, showed why NBA scouts are drooling over his upside.
The 6-10 forward poured in a game-high 22 points and was a matchup nightmare all night.
“The story of the game … we couldn't get enough defensive rebounds and their size and physicality around the goal,” McMahon said. “I thought Estrella really dominated the paint, and then Ament showed why he's a top-five pick in the draft coming up in June.”
LSU center Mike Nwoko had his moments-he finished with 10 points and five boards-but foul trouble limited him to just 21 minutes. He picked up his third foul late in the first half and his fourth with over 12 minutes still to play.
Perimeter Punch, But Not Enough Late
One of the bright spots for LSU was its perimeter shooting-at least for most of the game. The Tigers went 7-of-13 from three through the first 24 minutes, a stark contrast from their previous two games, where they made just eight total threes combined.
Freshman Mazi Mosley helped spark that surge. The 6-5 guard hit a tough pull-up three to stop a nine-shot drought in the first half, then followed it with another triple after faking out a defender. Reece added his three long-range makes, and Sutton chipped in one as well.
But when the Tigers needed a late run, the shots stopped falling. LSU missed 9 of its final 10 threes, finishing 8-of-23 from deep.
Looking Ahead
The loss drops LSU to 14-11 overall and 2-10 in SEC play. With Thomas officially done for the year and Mackinnon’s status still uncertain-McMahon said only that the senior guard is “making progress”-the Tigers will need to continue leaning on their young core and finding ways to manufacture offense without their top playmakers.
Saturday’s game may go down as a loss, but it also showed that LSU isn’t backing down, even when the odds are stacked against them. That spirit-combined with a few more made shots and a better showing on the boards-could still make this team a tough out down the stretch.