LSU was in a close game for the first time this season against Drake.

Despite a promising first half, the Tigers weren’t able to repeat that effort in the last 20 minutes as the Bulldogs never trailed by more than 16 points.

Drake trailed by only six points with 55 seconds left in the game after it made a 3-pointer following a costly inbounds turnover by Max Mackinnon. Thanks to some made free throws by Dedan Thomas, LSU outlasted Drake 71-62 on Friday at Raider Arena in Niceville, Florida.

“Just couldn't put them away, I thought we had some opportunities there,” coach Matt McMahon said on LSU sports radio network. “We just couldn’t finish them, but it was good for us. You know, we played in five games that weren't close. To get into some of those situations, we made a big mistake ther

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