Oscar Tshiebwe, No. 6 Kentucky continues SEC success, LSU loses again in conference

The Kentucky Wildcats improve to 23-5 on the season after beating LSU Wednesday night thanks to a strong performance from Oscar Tshiebwe. Kentucky won by a score of 71-66.

How the game went down

LSU looked poised to upset the nation’s No. 6 team, going into halftime with an eight point lead. Senior guard Xavier Pinson led the way for the Tigers in the first half with 16 of the team’s 31 points.

Kentucky’s junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe did his best to keep his team close, scoring 12 of his team’s 23.

The second half was heavily favored by Kentucky. The Wildcats outscored LSU 48-35 in the second half.

Kentucky received a lot of offensive production from the free throw line. They scored 23 free throws out of 32 attempts. That accounted for just under one-third of the team’s total points. Tshiebwe made 7-11 free throws.

LSU performed much better than Kentucky from the three-point line. They shot 9-26 from three to Kentucky’s 2-12.

Kentucky took away a lot of second chance opportunities for LSU with proficient defensive rebounding. The Wildcats grabbed 11 more defensive rebounds than LSU, 12 more total rebounds.

The top scorers for both sides were Xavier Pinson for LSU with 26 points and Oscar Tshiebwe for Kentucky with 17 points and 16 rebounds.

Tshiebwe’s rebounding performance means he has grabbed the most rebounds by a Kentucky Men’s Basketball player in a single season in the last 50 years. He also passes Julius Randle and Anthony Davis on Kentucky’s all-time single-season rebounder list.

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1496706711964504069

Oscar Tshiebwe Postgame

Tshiebwe said after the win that LSU was good competition. He saw the game as great preparation for his team who play ranked Arkansas next.

Tshiebwe also said he is proud to be a part of this Wildcats team because every play is ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Kentucky now improves to 23-5 overall, 12-3 in SEC play. LSU drops to 19-9, 7-8 in SEC play.

Next for Kentucky, they take on No. 18 Arkansas. LSU plays Missouri.