LSU Falls To Houston In Overtime, 105-98
The LSU Tigers fell on the road in non-conference action on Sunday, dropping a 105-98 overtime decision to the Houston Cougars at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas.
Trailing by 9 points at halftime, LSU came roaring back in the second half, sending the game into overtime, thanks to a tied Keith Hornsby three-point shot with :06 left, before being outscored in the overtime period, 21-14.
The loss kept the Tigers winless in four games played away from Baton Rouge this season.
LSU led at the 7:39 mark of the first half, 33-30, before Houston ended the half by outscoring the Tigers, 15-3, to take a 45-36 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Houston outshot LSU in the first half, 49%/42%, and controlled the glass over the first 20:00, finishing the half with a 23-12 rebound advantage.
Danrad Knowles paved the way for the Cougars in the first half, with 10 points and 6 rebounds, while Hornsby and Tim Quarterman had 8 points apiece at the break for the Tigers.
LSU started strong in the second half strong, going on a 16-6 run, to grab a 52-51 lead at the 15:22 mark of the second half.
Houston answered with a run of their own, however, outscoring the Tigers, 19-12, over the next 6:12, to regain the lead, 70-64, with 9:10 remaining.
In a string of runs, the Tigers refused to go away, answering with an 8-0 run, to again take the lead, 72-70, with 5:54 left.
The Cougars then went on to score the next 5 points, to take a 75-72 advantage with 5:02 to go, before a Quarterman layup and free throw tied the game, 75-75, with 3:36 left.
A Galen Robinson, Jr. free throw gave UH the lead back, 76-75, at the 3:16 mark, before an Aaron Epps layup gave LSU the lead right back, 77-76, with 3:02 to go.
On Houston's next possession, Ron Gray, Jr. nailed a jumper at the 2:51 mark, to lift the Cougars to a 78-77 edge.
Gray hit another jumper with 1:12 left, extending the UH lead to 80-77, before two free throws from Quarterman got the Tigers back to within a point, 80-79, with :49 to go.
Gray then nailed another critical jumper at the :33 second mark, making the score 82-79, before Quarterman hit two more key free throws with :29 to go to once again trim the LSU deficit to one point, 82-81.
On Houston's next two possessions, Damyeon Dotson and Devonta Pollard converted on 1-of-2 free throw shots apiece, giving UH a 84-81 lead with :13 left.
LSU tied it on their next possession, when Hornsby nailed a big three-point shot, evening the score, 84-84, with :06 to go, and send it into overtime.
The Cougars controlled the overtime frame however, scoring the first 4 points, and 10 of the first 11, giving them a 94-85 lead with 2:00 left.
That was too much for the Tigers to overcome, as UH went on to the 5-point victory
Houston ended the game outshooting LSU from the field, 51%/50%, while also finishing with a 46-33 rebound advantage.
Gray led the way for the Cougars, finishing with 31 points, while Knowles added 20 points and 9 boards.
In a losing cause for the Tigers, Hornsby scored a game-high 32 points, while Quarterman chipped in with 27 points and 9 rebounds.
With the victory, Houston improved to 6-1 on the season, while LSU slipped to 4-4.
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday night when they host Gardner Webb in a non-conference tilt.
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