LSU vs. Oklahoma: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

Buddy Hield and the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners survived a scare on the road and defeated the unranked LSU Tigers, 77-75, in thrilling, come-from-behind fashion Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Isaiah Cousins sunk a tiebreaking jumper from near the free-throw line, and Khadeem Lattin blocked Tim Quarterman's layup on the ensuing possession, securing the victory in the final seconds. 

Cousins finished with a respectable 18 points, but Hield stole the show Saturday and cemented his status as the Player of the Year front-runner, finishing with 32 points—including 21 in the Sooners’ resilient second half. Hield, who sunk eight three-pointers, tallied his eighth 30-plus-point game of the season.

Adam Jacobi of BlackHeartGoldPants.com joked about the star's performance:

LSU controlled the tempo for the first 35 minutes and led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but it fell victim to Hield’s heroics in the final five minutes.

Trailing 65-60 with 4:41 remaining, Hield sunk back-to-back three-pointers to give the Sooners their first lead since the 16:38 mark in the first half.

But LSU marched back and tied or traded the lead with Oklahoma eight times the rest of the way. 

Antonio Blakeney responded with a pair of clutch three-pointers on assists from Quarterman, including one that tied the game at 75-75 with 25 seconds remaining. Troy Machir of Sporting News shared a Vine of the shot:

Blakeney’s late shots accounted for six of his 11 points, while Ben Simmons finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Quarterman led the Tigers with 18 points and was 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. 

But it wasn’t enough to top Hield and the Sooners, who again showed poise as national title contenders with a convincing road win against a team whose 13-8 record doesn’t reflect its talent. 

Hield hadn't found the national spotlight until this season, but Bill Simmons of HBO believes teams should heavily consider him with the top pick in next summer’s NBA draft:

Sooners head coach Lon Kruger picked up his first win in three tries at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, dating back 33 years, according to Glenn Guilbeau of USA Today. And Oklahoma's second-half resilience might have made Saturday’s win its most impressive yet this season. 

The Sooners looked to be en route to their third road loss of the month after falling to No. 4 Kansas and No. 14 Iowa State by a combined eight points, and though the path to March won’t get any easier in the competitive Big 12, they will play most of their toughest remaining contests at home. 

LSU now sits at 13-8, and despite having its own superstar in Simmons with a strong supporting cast, its NCAA tournament hopes are running thin. Actor Shane West took note of how disappointing it would be if the Tigers miss out on the Big Dance:

With just 10 games remaining and a narrow margin for error, LSU may have to win the SEC tournament to make it to March Madness.

Postgame Reaction

Cousins entered Saturday’s game shooting 38.7 percent in his last 10 contests, which made his game-winning shot all the more impressive. And despite those lowly figures, Cousins demanded the ball on the final possession, Hield told the ESPN telecasters postgame:

"

All confidence. He told coach he wanted the ball, he went up there, he made a great play and I’m just happy for him. He’s been struggling the last couple weeks, ups and downs, but I’m really proud he prevailed us in this game. He made a lot of tough shots for us. 

"

LSU head coach Johnny Jones insisted that despite hanging close with the nation’s top-ranked team all the way to the buzzer, he felt no consolation in the loss, per Scott Rabalais of the Advocate:

Jones also admitted the Tigers needed to get Simmons more involved, but he credited Oklahoma for creating enough pressure to limit the freshman forward, per Rabalais:

Simmons was tasked with occasionally defending Hield, and he held the Oklahoma star in high company when asked to compare him to other tough opponents, per Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World:

Oklahoma, now at 18-2, hosts the TCU Horned Frogs on Tuesday. LSU travels to take on the Auburn Tigers the same day.