Vanderbilt tops LSU; Auburn beats Georgia
NASHVILLE — Riley LaChance spent a lot of time in the gym over the past week, taking free throws and working on his shot after missing three late in a loss to Kentucky.
The Vanderbilt senior got a chance at a bit of redemption Saturday afternoon, and he didn’t miss.
LaChance hit two free throws with 2:01 left to put Vanderbilt ahead to stay, and the Commodores snapped their skid at four games by beating LSU 77-71.
“He wishes he had shots back against Kentucky our last home game, and he has been in the gym,” Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said. “He has been focused, and mentally he’s been in a really, really good place. And it was great to see him want the ball down the stretch and wanting to get to the free throw line.”
The Commodores (7-12, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) watched a 16-point lead in the second half disappear as they played a second straight game without Matthew Fisher-Davis, their second-leading scorer this season.
LSU took its only lead at 65-64 with 2:21 left on a bucket by Duop Reath, but LaChance hit his free throws as Vanderbilt finished the game 9-of-11 at the line. Commodores freshman Saben Lee hit a jumper with 47.6 seconds left to pad the lead as he scored 10 of his 12 points in the final 6:48.
LaChance finished with 26 points, and teammate Jeff Roberson added 20.
After missing the free throws against Kentucky, LaChance got some tips and worked in the gym. A career 84.2 percent shooter, he hit all six at the line against LSU.
Reath finished with a career-high 31 points and had 13 rebounds for LSU (11-7, 2-4), while Skylar Mays added 13. Tremont Waters, LSU’s leading scorer this season with an average 16.3 points per game entering Saturday, was held to just seven with Lee guarding him.
The Tigers came in as the SEC’s top-shooting team, averaging 49.4 percent, but couldn’t have been much colder in the opening minutes as they missed seven of their first eight.
› No. 17 Auburn 79, Georgia 65
AUBURN, Ala. — Bryce Brown scored 28 points, Mustapha Heron had 14 and Jared Harper added 13 on just 2-of-9 shooting as the Tigers (17-2, 5-1) rallied to bounce back three days after losing to rival Alabama.
Auburn came out flat for the fourth straight game and trailed by 16 points late in the first half but went on an 18-2 run to start the second. The surge was punctuated by a spectacular dunk by Heron that brought the crowd back to life and gave the Tigers the lead for good. They outscored Georgia 53-25 after the break and shot 58 percent after making just 25 percent of their first-half shots.
Yante Maten, who came in as the SEC’s leader in both points and rebounds per game, had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-6, 3-4). Juwan Parker added 16 points for Georgia, which missed its first 14 field-goal attempts of the second half and shot 25 percent after halftime. The Bulldogs made 60 percent of their shots in the first half, which ended with them ahead 40-26.
› Texas A&M 60, Missouri 49
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tonny Trocha-Morelos scored a game-high 14 points as the Aggies (13-6, 2-5) won their second consecutive home game in SEC play after an 0-5 start in the league.
Jordan Barnett, Jordan Geist and Jeremiah Tilmon and Jordan Barnett scored nine points apiece to pace the Tigers (13-6, 3-3), who trailed 29-20 at halftime.
Both teams were off target from the field. A&M shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) and Missouri 27.8 percent (15-of-54); from 3-point range, the Aggies shot 17.6 percent (3-of-17) and the Tigers 22.2 percent (4-of-18).
› Arkansas 97, Ole Miss 93
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Jaylen Barford scored 23 points, 16 in the second half, as Arkansas opened a big first-half lead and held on down the stretch.
Barford was 8-for-11 from the field as he helped the Razorbacks (13-6, 3-4) bounce back after four losses in their previous five games. The senior also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Terence Davis was 10-for-15 from the field and led the Rebels (10-9, 3-4) with a season-high 30 points. Breein Tyree added 16 points, and Deandre Burnett and Bruce Stevens had 15 apiece.
Daryl Macon added 20 points for Arkansas, while freshman Daniel Gafford had 15 points, nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks. C.J. Jones and Darious Hall also finished in double figures with 11 points each.
› Florida 66, No. 18 Kentucky 64
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jalen Hudson scored 17 points off the bench, making seven of 10 free throws, as the Gators (14-5, 6-1) held on to their spot at the top of the league standings with a big road win.
Keith Stone (14 points), Chris Chiozza (13) and KeVaughn Allen (11) also scored in double figures for Florida, which has won two straight since stumbling at Ole Miss.
Former Hamilton Heights standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Wenyen Gabriel each scored 10 for the Wildcats (14-5, 4-3), who finished with a 49-38 advantage on rebounds.
› Alabama 68, Misissippi State 62
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Braxton Key had 16 points and Daniel Giddens 13 for the Crimson Tide (13-6, 5-2), who led 41-22 at halftime.
In double figures for the Bulldogs (14-5, 2-4) were Lamar Peters (17 points), Quinndary Weatherspoon (12) and Abdul Ado and Aric Holman, each with 10 points. Holman also grabbed 10 rebounds.