WGNO

LSU beats Ole Miss wire-to-wire without Cam Thomas

LSU forward Trendon Watford against Arkansas during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

OXFORD, Ms. (BRPROUD.com) – LSU’s last minute game against Ole Miss gave the Tigers more adversity once they reached tip-off. True freshman Cam Thomas went down with an ankle injury within the first two minutes of the game.

Forward Trendon Watford stepped up and scored a game high 21 points and six rebounds, and guard Javonte Smart had 17 points and six assists. LSU took a 3-0 lead after forward Darius Days made his first shot of the game on a three-pointer, and the Tigers never trailed.

LSU head coach Will Wade said after the game Thomas’ injury shouldn’t be too severe, but the guard will likely be questionable for Wednesday’s game against Arkansas.

Days finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, and guard Eric Gaines produced in Thomas’ absence with 10 points and four steals off the bench.

“Eric Gaines has been awesome, and it was good to finally see it in a game and get into the game. We see it everyday in practice. I thought he was tremendous,” Wade said.

Austin Crowley was the only double-digit scorer for Ole Miss, scoring 10 points off the bench.

LSU’s next game against the Razorbacks will be a 6 p.m. tip-off at the PMAC.

Click the video to hear from Coach Wade and the players.