LSU basketball blows a 15-point lead in first half and falls to Georgia at home

The LSU basketball team’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament at-large berth are slipping away quickly.

The Tigers were unable to capitalize on a big opportunity as they fell 83-71 to Georgia on Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Bulldogs snapped their three-game losing streak in the process.

Max Mackinnon had 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and made all 10 of his free throws for LSU.

LSU point guard Dedan Thomas missed a second straight contest and his seventh game overall. He reaggravated a left foot injury Jan. 28.

Coach Matt McMahon was pleased with his team’s strong start, leading by as many as 15 points in the first half. He mentioned how it had nine assists to only two turnovers after the first 10 minutes.

The fast start would not last, though.

“I thought the difference in the game, two things,” McMahon said. “Number one, after the nine-to-two assist-to-turnover ratio, we were three (assists) to 12 (turnovers) the rest of the game. And then, after only giving up four (offensive) boards in the first half, we give up 12 in the second half. A lot of them led to dagger threes, and they made us pay in the fight and pursuit for those 50-50 plays.”

Mackinnon started the game aggressively, taking four shot attempts in the first three minutes. He made three shots, with two coming from downhill drives for scoop layups and one 3-pointer.

The Portland transfer also drove and passed to a cutting Pablo Tamba, who made a layup. Mackinnon scored or assisted on the first nine points for LSU (14-9, 2-8 SEC).

The senior’s strong opening helped LSU take a 13-4 lead at the first media timeout. Mackinnon didn’t cool off after the break as he came off a screen to make a 3-pointer. A couple of minutes later, he dribbled through a full-court press, drove to the hoop, spun in the paint and kicked the ball out to Marquel Sutton for a corner 3-pointer. The Omaha transfer finished with 14 points and five rebounds.

PJ Carter, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, then made back-to-back 3-pointers early in possessions. The second 3 was a few feet above the arc and was spurred by a recovery block from behind by Robert Miller. The field goal gave LSU a 31-16 advantage, its largest lead, with 9:47 remaining in the first half.

Georgia (16-7, 5-5) started to play a full-court press to disrupt LSU’s comfort offensively around the 12-minute mark. That helped the Bulldogs match the intensity as they fought back.

Kanon Catchings was the early go-to option for the Bulldogs. The 6-8 wing made his first four shots, including three 3-pointers. He closed the game with 22 points.

Georgia entered halftime making seven of its last 10 shots. It forced a few LSU turnovers and had two consecutive steals that led to transition dunks, giving the Bulldogs a three-point lead with 25 seconds left before halftime, and Georgia entered the break up 42-37 after an 11-0 run.

Senior Rashad King replaced Thomas in the starting lineup. In his fifth game as a starter, the transfer from Northeastern has averaged 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and shot 53.6% overall.

The senior didn’t have as strong of an outing against Georgia. King had zero points, four assists and three turnovers.

The Bulldogs continued applying full-court pressure and remained more physical in their half-court defense. LSU had chances to push after stops, but it had self-inflicted mistakes. One example was an alley-oop miss from Georgia, but King threw an outlet pass to a guarded Tamba for a turnover. That mishap led to a 3-pointer by Georgia’s Blue Cain, who gave his team a 48-41 lead with 17:42 left.

Other times, LSU didn’t stay as connected on cutters and allowed more offensive rebounds with Miller playing center. Georgia had four offensive boards in the first seven minutes of the second half. It had that amount in the entire first half.

“Sometimes people were put in rotations and missed box outs,” Mackinnon said about the poor rebounding. “I know I miss box outs. They’re good athletes. Sometimes can’t win a jumping contest. You gotta hit first. “

Starting LSU center Mike Nwoko played only 15 minutes as he battled foul trouble. He fouled out with 5:22 left in the game and had eight points and five rebounds.

After Nwoko fouled out, Georgia pummeled LSU on the offensive glass. The extra chances energized the Bulldogs, who expanded their lead to 77-60 with 4:15 remaining. McMahon said Nwoko’s foul trouble “made it tough” for the Tigers. The junior was coming off a 21-point outing in LSU’s previous five-point overtime win at South Carolina.

LSU’s next game will be its second meeting against No. 21 Arkansas at 8 p.m. Tuesday. In the first contest at Arkansas, the Tigers lost 85-81.