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LSU MBB loses to Florida 67-56 as offensive struggles persist

On3 imageby:Matthew Brune•01/10/23•

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Adam Miller LSU basketball
Courtesy LSU Basketball

LSU’s win over Arkansas to open SEC play is a distant memory as fans filed out of the PMAC on Tuesday night with still a few minutes left in regulation, but the score was too far out of reach for a Tigers team that struggled to score.

LSU dropped to 1-3 in conference play with a 67-56 loss to Florida, ending the game shooting just 32.2 percent from the field to go with 16 turnovers. With starting guard Cam Hayes out for the game, the rotations got even tougher for head coach Matt McMahon who was forced to dip deeper into his bench unit.

No matter who was on the court, the offense continued to struggle, while the Gators eventually got the offensive rhythm it needed, shooting 55 percent in the second half and going 18-of-22 at the free throw line to pull away.

“In the first half we were able to limit Castleton’s touches and forced 17 of their 28 shots to be behind the arc, then in the second half they put their head down and drove us and got to the free throw line,” McMahon said. “We got doubled up at the free throw line. Did a better job on the glass, but want to see us get to the line more effectively off the dribble.”

Lackluster offense

The missed shots and turnovers led to fast break opportunities for the Gators, who ended with 23 points off turnovers and 16 fast break points.

The Tigers’ have failed to score 60 points in three of the four SEC games, highlighting the offensive limitations of McMahon’s squad.

“For us, to have opportunities to win games, you have to find ways to eliminate self inflicted wounds,” McMahon said. “Our inefficiency on the offensive end, there were a couple stretches that really hurt us. Isolation offense is not going to be the strength of our team, we have to move the ball and execute.”

KJ Williams led the Tigers with 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting and was the only player in double figures. Adam Miller and Derek Fountain pitched in eight points each, but Miller finished a forgettable 2-of-12 from the field.

“Florida is a team that runs you off the 3-point line and when we did get good looks we didn’t take advantage of it,” McMahon said. “teams have now seen us play 16 times, so we have together and figure out what gives us the best chance for us to win and we’ll get back to that tonight.”

Next up for the Tigers is a road game at Alabama, but that’s only the start of the hardest stretch of games this season. With four straight games against ranked teams coming up, LSU hopes it can find answers quickly moving forward.

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