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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Stromile Swift scored 26 points in LSU's 70-57 upset of Kentucky (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) on Sunday and ended up talking about
the Tigers' hustling defense.
"We feel like we can beat anybody when we're playing the kind of defense we played today," Swift said. "If we just stay with our game and play really good defense, we can keep this thing going against anybody."
That combination was certainly effective against Kentucky, which
had 23 turnovers and allowed 25th-ranked LSU to latch onto 17 steals.
|  | | LSU's Brian Beshara is a high riser on defense against Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince. |
"We go into every game knowing we have to play good defense to
win," said freshman point guard Torris Bright, who had five steals
and seven assists. "That's the key, a good game by our big men and
playing defense."
LSU (19-4, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) got 21 points from Brian
Beshara, and Jabari Smith added 10 and eight rebounds. Swift also
had eight rebounds.
"I don't know if I have ever had a team play defensively as
well or play as hard as this team has played over this last stretch
of games," LSU coach John Brady said. "I haven't ever been on, or
been a coach on a team that has put together five or six games
where the effort and rebounding and commitment or guarding has been
like this team."
Kentucky (17-7, 7-3) rallied from 20 points down with 10:53 to
play to get within five points. The Tigers then closed the game
with an 11-3 run, giving them their fourth win over a ranked team
this season and second in the past week.
After upsetting Arizona and Oklahoma State earlier this season,
LSU beat Auburn (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 9 AP) on Wednesday night.
Kentucky and LSU are No. 2 and No. 3 in the SEC in defense,
allowing 66.4 and 67.1 points respectively. But it was the Tigers'
defense that came up strong Sunday, smothering the Wildcats and
holding them to 37 percent shooting.
"They really took it to us, ad we really didn't respond in the
first half," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. "When your center
and your power forwards are getting 10 turnovers between them
that's a real problem."
Smith said that of the first 12 times center Jamal Magloire got
the ball he had five turnovers and two shots blocked.
"It was rough out there," Magloire said. "Smith is a big
presence and if I went over to block a shot it would leave it open
for someone to come in for a rebound."
It was the second straight whipping for the Wildcats, who lost
by 17 points to Florida.
Kentucky, winners of 13 of their last 16 games, have dominated
LSU over the years (70-20), last losing to the Tigers back in 1992
in Baton Rouge.
Saul Smith led Kentucky with 15 points and Magloire had 11
points and 10 rebounds.
Jules Camara, who was expected to miss another one or two games
with a foot injury, played for 12 minutes with little impact, not
scoring and grabbing only one rebound.
After scoring only 20 points in the first 18 minutes, LSU made
eight in the final 1:53 to take a 28-18 lead at the break.
The Tigers were up 47-27 with 10:53 left when Magloire hit one
of two free throws to start a 6-0 run for the Wildcats. Desmond
Allison made five of six free throws in the run that cut the lead
to 47-33.
Kentucky made five 3-pointers in a three-minute stretch,
including one by Tayshaun Prince with 4:21 left that cut LSU's lead
to 59-54.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Kentucky Clubhouse
LSU Clubhouse
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