FGCU faces LSU team not afraid of comebacks

LSU has made a habit of playing its best in the second half.

The Tigers (7-1) are 5-0 in games in which they have trailed at halftime as they prepare to face Florida Gulf Coast University on Sunday afternoon in Baton Rouge, La.

They trailed visiting Florida State 35-32 at halftime, scored the first eight points of the second half and never trailed again in an 85-75 victory in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Tuesday night. The Seminoles had been allowing an average of just 62 points per game.

"Our guys really guarded on the defensive end and really competed," LSU coach Matt McMahon said. "To score 53 points in the second half on a defense that is that disruptive in Florida State is really a credit to our players."

The victory was marred by the loss of forward Jalen Reed, the Tigers' second-leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer, to a season-ending torn ACL.

Daimion Collins replaced Reed initially, and Corey Chest and Derek Fountain also helped pick up the slack in the frontcourt.

Cam Carter scored a season-high 26 points in his fifth game with 20-plus points, Jordan Sears added 21 and Vyctorius Miller scored 15.

The second half was far less productive for FGCU in its most recent game. The Eagles (3-6) had a 44-33 halftime lead and Rory Stewart's 3-pointer gave FGCU a 13-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining, but the Furman Palladins took control down the stretch for a 76-73 victory Wednesday night.

Zavian McLean scored a season-high 19 points to lead four double-figure scorers for the Eagles, who feature balanced scoring. McLean and Stewart -- a 6-foot-8 forward who's second on the team in 3-point shooting -- are among six players averaging between 6.8 and 13.1 points per game.

"Rory adds another dimension as a (big) that can step out and hit a shot," FGCU coach Pat Chambers said. "When we're spreading it around and sharing the ball, we can be a really good team offensively."

--Field Level Media