by Kent Lowe, Sr. Associate Sports Information Director
NIT Regional Final: LSU def. Western Kentucky, 71-60
BATON ROUGE – Start spreading the news! The LSU Tigers basketball team is longing to be right in the heart of New York City.
They will get that chance next Wednesday in the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off in the semifinal round after breaking a tight game open in the final three minutes to score a 71-60 win over Western Kentucky in the South Region quarterfinals Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU will face No. 13 Connecticut in the semifinals after the Huskies rallied for a 76-67 win over Hofstra at Storrs, Conn.
The game will be played on the ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CST on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. The consolation and championship games will be played on Friday afternoon at 1:30 and 4 p.m. CST in The Garden on ESPN.
No. 9 Duke and Arizona State will meet in the opposite semifinal at 8 p.m. CT.
Although they have played in the Garden since then, this will mark the first time the Tigers have made it to New York and the world’s most famous arena for an NIT event since 1970 when Pete Maravich led the Tigers to the post-season event when all 16 teams played the entire tournament in the Garden. LSU won its first two rounds that year to advance to the semifinals before losing that game and the consolation final.
LSU and Western Kentucky was full of drama and played like a game with a lot on the line. There were 12 ties and 19 lead changes in the contest with A. J. Slaughter tying the game for Western Kentucky for the 12 time with 3:01 left. On the ensuing possession, LSU took the lead for good on Bo Spencer’s fourth trey to give LSU a 60-57 advantage.
After an offensive foul by Nemanja Milosevic, the Tigers’ Dennis Harris found a lane to the goal and put in a dunk to give LSU a five-point advantage with just 2:08 to play. After a WKU timeout, the Hilltoppers turned the ball over again on a Bo Spencer steal and he laid the ball in at the other end to make it 64-57. Slaughter missed a trey and a layup on the next WKU possession and LSU tried to run the clock down.
At the end of the possession, Spencer was fouled on a three-point attempt, made all three free throws and the crowd was beginning to change “New York City” as LSU led 67-57 with just 49 seconds to play.
Spencer led LSU with a career high 28 points with four assists and just one turnover in 40 minutes, while Storm Warren had his third straight double double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Tasmin Mitchell was back in double figures with 12 as LSU ran its record to 3-0.
Western Kentucky got 25 points from Sergio Kerusch and Slaughter added 11 as the Hilltoppers fell to 1-1. Western Kentucky should be named Wednesday as a host site for two rounds of consolation play in the NIT as all teams are guaranteed four games. Those games will be played next Monday and Tuesday.
For the game, LSU shot 47.1 percent, 24-of-51, and 5-of-15 from the arc after missing 15 three-pointers without a make on Monday. Western Kentucky shot just 34.9 percent (22-of-63) and just 31 percent in the second half (10-32). LSU out rebounded WKU, 40-31.
Regional Consolation Game: Indiana St. def. Milwaukee, 76-63
BATON ROUGE – Indiana State won its first NIT contest Tuesday night when it defeated UW-Milwaukee, 76-63, in the first game of a doubleheader at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The game was a consolation contest in the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off South Region. LSU was to meet Western Kentucky later in the evening with the winner going to New York City for the national semifinals.
Indiana State raised its record to 2-1 on the season, while UWM falls to 1-2.
Indiana State was led by Rashad Reed with 16 points, while Dwayne Lathan was seven of seven from the field with 14 points. Harry Marshall and Jake Kelly each had 11 points. UWM was paced by the 13 points of Deonte Roberts with Tony Meier and James Eayrs getting 10 each. Eayrs also had 10 rebounds.
Indiana State had a narrow 38-36 lead at intermission.
Both teams will now continue play in the consolation round of the NIT with two games next Monday and Tuesday at a location to be determined.
emi
