By JOURNAL STAFF
BATON ROUGE — LSU got even more short-handed Wednesday night during its Southeastern Conference basketball battle with Texas A&M, but the Tigers scrapped out a 70-64 triumph at the Maravich Assembly Center.
The Tigers (16-4, 4-4) snapped a three-game skid. LSU scored the game’s final nine points in a closing 13-2 run posted without the team’s three top players: Darius Days, Xavier Pinson and Tari Eason, who was helped off the court with 12 minutes to go after sustaining an apparent knee sprain.
Freshman Brandon Murray came off the bench to score 21 for LSU. Eric Gaines stepped up with 16 points, six rebounds, four steals and a massive blocked shot on a dunk attempt that preserved the Tigers’ 66-64 lead with just 24 seconds left.
The Aggies (15-5, 4-3), in their third year under former Mike McConathy/NSU assistant Buzz Williams, lost their ninth straight to the Tigers, missing their last six shots. It was A&M’s third straight defeat in league play.
In other action of local interest, Bossier Parish Community College dialed long distance for an exciting homecourt win by the Cavs, but the BPCC women fell on the road at Angelina.
MEN
BOSSIER PARISH 57, NAVARRO 56: Jaeden Marshall hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to give the Cavaliers their only lead of the game and the winning margin at the Billy Montgomery Gym. Marshall’s big shot came after Roydrel Dryden hit a trey to pull BPCC (12-8, 6-5 in Region 14) within 56-54. Derick Hamilton led the Cavs with 12 points, Dryden had 11 and Christian Caldwell 10. Navarro (11-10, 5-6) was led by Xavier Pina’s 16 points.
WOMEN
ANGELINA 84, BOSSIER PARISH 52: The Lady Cavs fell on the road despite the 21 points from Ma’Kaila Lewis and Faith Robinson’s 16. BPCC drops to 10-9, 3-6 with the loss. Angelina (1-6, 4-5) got 18 points from Sumaiiyah Abdur-Rahim.
Photo courtesy of LSU ATHLETICS
