LSU edges out Butler in overtime
Anthony Hickey buried a deep three-pointer with 4.4 seconds remaining to force overtime, and the LSU basketball team emerged with a 70-68 victory over Butler Sunday during the third-place game of Old Spice Classic.
For Hickey, the triple from just right of the top of the key was his lone basket of the game. He got the look at the game-tying shot off a feed from Andre Stringer out of a double team. It was one of Stringer's game-leading five assists.
All square at 65-65 in overtime, Stringer gave the Tigers the lead for good on a mid-range jumper with the shot clock expiring at the 2:40 mark.
On LSU's next possession, Johnny O'Bryant III hit a key turnaround jumper and then hit the front end of a 1-and-1 with 10 seconds left to give LSU a 70-66 edge.
Butler (5-2) hit two free throws with 4.3 seconds to go, but Hickey broke away from a steal attempt in the closing seconds. He passed the ball ahead to O'Bryant III in the frontcourt, who dribbled out the remaining time off the clock.
The Tigers (5-2) erased a six-point deficit over the final four minutes of regulation and have won four of their last six overtime decisions going back to the 2011-12 season.
O'Bryant III was one of five LSU players to amass double figures. He worked his way to a team-leading 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He also provided eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. The eight rebounds enabled O'Bryant III to surpass John Williams (1984-86) for 35th place on LSU's all-time list.
Shavon Coleman and Malik Morgan picked up 12 points apiece to give LSU a 24-0 scoring edge in bench points. For Morgan, the 12 points matched a career-high. He also turned in seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Coleman has reached double figures in three of his last five outings.
Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey chipped in 12 points each and hauled in a combined 13 rebounds. The duo tallied 18 of its 24 points during the second half and overtime on a combined 10-for-22 shooting effort. They played a major role in LSU scoring 38 of the game's 50 points in the paint.
Four of Butler's five starters recorded double figures headed by Kellen Dunham's game-high 20 points. The sophomore guard had to take 21 shots to reach his point total. Khyle Marshall tacked on 17 points and nine rebounds, while Kameron Woods came away with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
LSU was 29-of-64 from the field (45.3 percent), which included a 5-for-14 three-point effort (35.7 percent). The Tigers were 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) at the foul line.
Nine of Butler's 22 field goals came from three-point territory. The Bulldogs were 22-of-65 shooting (33.8 percent) and 15-of-20 (80.0 percent) from the free throw line. Butler also held a 48-36 rebounding advantage highlighted by 18 offensive boards.