LSU wins second straight over Arkansas

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Posted 8:13AM on Sunday, February 17, 2002

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - On a breakaway with dunk on his mind, LSU's Jermaine Williams banged the ball off the back rim and put his hands over his face as Arkansas' lead grew to seven. In the final 30 seconds, with chances for additional embarrassment, Williams made 5-of-6 free throws and LSU beat the Razorbacks 67-63 on Saturday. ``I just wanted the ball at the end of the game, because I knew that I could make them,'' said Williams, who has made 29-of-31 during conference play. ``I've always been good at free throws going back to middle school.'' Torris Bright hit a 3 for a tie and a layup for the lead to put Williams in position for the clinching free throws and Ronald Dupree kept the Tigers (14-11, 4-8) close in the first half with 26 points on 11-of-15 from the field. Plagued by poor shooting for three weeks, Arkansas' (12-12, 4-8) only field goal during the final 8:29 was a 3 by Jannero Pargo for a 60-55 lead with 2:36 to play. Brad Bridgewater scored from the baseline and Dupree partially blocked Pargo's shot before Bright tied it from long range. Teddy Gipson lost the ball on a drive and Bright's layup gave the Tigers the lead with 1:09 to play. J.J. Sullinger missed and Matt Jones twice missed tips before Williams' free throws made it 64-60 with 30 seconds to play. Inexplicably, Dupree fouled Brandon Dean on a 3 from corner and he was good three times to cut it 64-63. Dean led Arkansas with 15. Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson said he saw the same inability to finish when his first Razorback team went 12-16 in 1986. Since then, the Razorbacks have been to the NCAA 13 times and the NIT twice. Now, that postseason streak is in jeopardy. ``We can be there, but we just can't finish,'' Richardson said. ``This isn't a team that understands the game. You win games by not letting the other team set their defense. It's not happening on the road, not at home, it just isn't happening.'' Williams made one free throw for a two-point lead and Pargo was off on a hurry-up 3 with about a dozen seconds to play. Williams added two more free throws with 10 seconds left. Despite Dupree, who finished with 30, Arkansas led most of the first half and was up six early in the second half. Bright's two free throws tied it at 44 the first tie since 6-6. On defense, Dupree yelped at Carl Baker in the corner, but Baker got to the basket and put Arkansas ahead 50-48. From the same corner, Gipson drove for a left-handed scoop. After an easy interception in the backcourt, Arkansas got the ball to Pargo who found Gipson moving down the lane for a stuff and 54-48. Arkansas shot almost 47 percent in the first half, but only 26 percent in the second half. ``The only way Arkansas was really able to score was in transition off of our turnovers,'' said LSU coach John Brady. ``Once we got that problem fixed, they had a lot of trouble scoring.'' Dupree had 10 of the Tigers' first 11, including a 3 that put LSU in front 11-9. Seconds later, Sullinger's 3 gave Arkansas a lead it did not relinquish the rest of the half. Dean followed with a 3 for 15-11, then used a Baker screen for a 3 and 20-13. Dean ran down Sullinger's long pass and made two free throws for 22-13. Arkansas led by 10 before Dupree put back a teammate's miss and then banked home a 3 that cut it to 23-18. At that point, Dupree had 17 points, including 7-of-9 from the field. After a Jones turnover, Bright lobbed a pass that Dupree stuffed for his 21st point that trimmed the lead to 28-24. LSU missed from the right side of the basket and Bright was alone on the left side for an easy layup that made it 28-26. Dean drove the lane for a five-point lead with five seconds to play, but Dupree's 3 at the buzzer cut it to 39-37.