Led by Wright, LSU takes down No. 21 Ole Miss 89-80

BATON ROUGE – LSU posted 54 second half points and used a 9-0 run over the final seconds of the first half and the first minute of the second half to grab the lead and momentum en route to an 89-80 win over No. 21/22 Ole Miss at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Wednesday night.

The Tigers are now 11-6 on the season and 3-1 in the SEC, while the Rebels drop to 15-2 and 2-2 in the league.

LSU was down 33-32 with 1:20 to play in the first half before Jalen Cook’s three-pointer gave LSU a 35-33 lead with 1:04 to play. That’s the way the half ended as neither team hit a shot in the remaining moments of the half.

LSU had the opening possession and Jordan Wright hit a three-pointer to push the lead to five and after an Ole Miss wayward three-pointer, Wright got a layup and a free throw after drawing the foul and pushed the lead to 41-33 with 19:09 to play.

The Tigers held the advantage between 4-and-8 points for the next several minutes before Tyrell Ward for the second straight game went on a three-point shooting run, hitting two consecutive to put LSU up 11, 57-46, with 11:51 to play.

After a trade of points, Ward would hit his third three-pointer in as many attempts to push LSU’s advantage to 14, 62-48, and after Ole Miss missed a layup, Hunter Dean off a Wright pass scored to make it 64-48 with 9:48 to play.

The Tigers then had to weather the storm over the next several minutes as Ole Miss got on a run, especially as the Rebels racked up points at the free throw line. Ole Miss cut the lead to five, 77-72, with 1:41 to play before Mike Williams off a Cook pass, hit a three with 1:07 to go to make it 80-72.

LSU made 9-of-10 free throws in the final 32 minutes to salt away Coach Matt McMahon’s second win against a top 25 AP team at LSU.

Wright had a huge night for the Tigers with 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists and seven steals. He was the first LSU players to have five or more points, rebounds, assists and steals in a game since Tremont Waters had 27 points, five rebounds, six assists and five steals against Alcorn State on November 17, 2017.

Cook finished with 16 points, while Ward had 11 points and Williams had 10. LSU’s Will Baker (9 points) and Dean both led LSU with eight rebounds as LSU out rebounded the Rebels, 42-35.

Jaylen Murray had 23 points, Allen Flanigan had 20 points, Matthew Murrell scored 19 and Jaemyn Brakefield scored 13 to lead the Rebels.

LSU finished the game at 48.3 percent (28-of-58) and 10-of-21 from the three-point range after making 16-of-29 in the second half, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. LSU’s finishing touch at the line put LSU at 23-of-31 at the stripe for 74.2 percent.

Ole Miss shot 36.9 percent (24-of-65 and just 6-of-24 from distance (25 percent). The Rebels were 26-of-29 from the line (89.7%).

The Tigers now have a big game on Saturday at home against Texas A&M, at 3 p.m. at the Maravich Center. Tickets are on sale at LSUTix.net. The two teams will meet for the second time in two weeks after LSU scored an SEC opening win at Bryan-College Station on Jan. 6, 68-53.

*LSU press release