JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tremont Waters didn’t need help. Not on LSU’s last possession, anyway.
With the game tied at 67, the sophomore had the ball in his hands with 19.5 seconds to go.
The diminutive point guard ran through Maryland’s trees straight to the backboard, putting up a contested layup that fell straight through the net to ice the game.
And with that, third-seeded LSU held off Maryland, 69-67, to advance to its first Sweet 16 since 2006.
Skylar Mays scored 16 points, Naz Reid added 13 points, Waters tallied 12 points and Darius Days chipped in 10 points in the third-seeded Tigers’ win over Maryland.
But before the team hoisted Waters in the air in celebration, LSU (28-6) hit a red wall.
Mark Turgeon’s No. 6 seed Maryland Terrapins (23-11) switched into a zone, sending the Tigers in a deep state of confusion. Soon thereafter, LSU’s 15-point lead shriveled away completely.
The Terrapins paired that zone defense with some hot shooting in the second frame to propel them back into it. They went on 8-, 5- and 8-point runs to take a 2-point lead with 3:57 to go. That was the first time LSU had trailed in either of its NCAA Tournament games.
Mays’ second 3-pointer in the final five minutes put the Tigers up 67-64, but Jalen Smith answered with 27 seconds left.
LSU interim coach Tony Benford called timeout, and Waters did the rest.
LSU used a stout defense in the first half, limiting Maryland to just 28.6 percent from the field. On top of that, the Tiger bigs removed future lottery pick Bruno Fernando from the offensive equation. The star sophomore notched just two points in the first half, but still managed to grab seven rebounds.
Fernando finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Smith led Maryland’s scoring efforts with 15 points.
The Tigers will play the winner of No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Minnesota, to be played Saturday night at 6:45 p.m. Central, in Washington D.C. on March 29.
Record breaker: Waters is now LSU’s record holder for steals in a season. His steal at the 8-minute mark in the first half was his 94th steal of the season. Waters also reached 1,000 career points in the game.
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