“We owe our fans an apology” | LSU matches its worst home defeat in SEC history in 106-71 loss to Florida

By CODY WORSHAM | Tiger Rag Editor

LSU’s sixth straight loss of the season — its seventh in eight contests — was its worst one yet.

Florida scored 58 points in the first half, 48 in the second, and knocked down a school-record 19 threes, and the Tigers matched the worst home conference loss in program history, falling 106-71.

“No positives from this game,” said LSU head coach Johnny Jones. “Zero.”

“Extremely disappointed in our performance tonight, across the board, from the coaches to the players. We owe our fans an apology…They did not represent those letters or those colors in the fashion I think we’ve grown proud to represent. I’ve been coaching for some 30-odd years. We’ve got to figure this team out.”

The Gators (15-5, 6-2 SEC) used a 17-4 run to break an 8-8 tie in the first half and never looked back. Devin Robinson scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the first 20 minutes, hitting 4-of-5 from deep in the first half to help Florida build a 58-33 halftime advantage.

After Florida grew the lead to 31 on an 8-2 run to start the second, LSU (9-10, 1-7 SEC) answered with a 6-0 run of its own, keyed by layups from both Skylar Mays (13 points, 7 assists) and Wayde Sims (12 points, 7 rebounds). The Gators ran off an 8-0 run of their own, extending the lead to as large as 37 on back to back Robinson dunks.

“We’ve got to get it figured out,” said Jones. “I haven’t been in a position like that and had a team perform that way. I don’t think I’ve recruited a group of guys that have played that way, because if you watch guys play and get beat like that, you don’t recruit them.”

LSU returns to action Saturday at Texas Tech, a 1 p.m. tipoff in the SEC-Big 12 challenge.

“At this point, all we can do is be positive,” said Mays. “We’re in a low place right now. All we can do is go up.  I love these guys. I love our team. I believe in our team. We have a great culture here. A great fan base. That’s why it hurts more. Especially being from here, knowing how much LSU means to Baton Rouge. We love the game. That’s what keeps us going.”