KJ Williams scored 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as LSU broke a 14-game losing streak with an 84-77 win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday in Baton Rouge, La.
The Tigers (13-15, 2-13 Southeastern Conference) led by seven points at halftime, then watched the visitors erase the deficit but battled back for their first win since topping then-No. 9 Arkansas in the league opener on Jan. 28.
The win prevented LSU from matching the school-record, 15-game losing streak set by the 2016-17 team.
With LSU up 77-73, Williams sealed the victory by sinking a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left. The 6-foot-10 senior shot 13 of 25 and made half of his 10 3-point attempts. The 35 points tied his season-high mark established against Wake Forest on Dec. 10.
Adam Miller scored 18 points as LSU shot 45 percent (27 of 60) from the field and 77.8 percent (21 of 27) at the foul line. The Tigers were 9 of 21 (42.9 percent) from 3-point range.
Vanderbilt (15-13, 8-7) got a strong performance from Liam Robbins, who had 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocked shots. Tyrin Lawrence added 19 points while Trey Thomas and Colin Smith had 11 apiece.
Seeking their first six-game SEC winning streak since the 2007-08 season, the Commodores fell for the first time since facing then-No. 4 Alabama on Jan. 31.
LSU, after allowing 15 3-pointers to South Carolina in an 82-73 home loss on Saturday, fell behind 9-2 inside the first four minutes against the Commodores because of more long-range shooting — two treys by Lawrence and one from Robbins.
The Tigers took their first lead, 19-18, on a driving layup by Jalen Reed and stretched the run to 13-0 for a 28-18 advantage.
The home side kept the single-digit lead for the remainder of the half and held a 39-32 lead at the break mainly due to its accuracy on the offensive end.
Entering Wednesday shooting 32.9 percent from deep on the season, LSU clicked at 46.2 percent (6 of 13) from beyond the arc in the first half. The Tigers also owned a 27-19 rebounding advantage.
Vanderbilt shot just 31.3 percent (10 of 32) prior to halftime.
For the game, LSU had a slight edge in field-goal percentage (45 percent to 44.1 percent) and rebounds (40-35).
–Field Level Media
