No. 3 LSU Holds off No. 6 Maryland Behind Tremont Waters' Game-Winning Layup

Tremont Waters made the game-winning layup as the LSU Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2019 NCAA tournament with a 69-67 second-round victory over the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

LSU Advances

LSU, the No. 3 seed in the East Region, entered March Madness with numerous question marks because of distractions related to head coach Will Wade being suspended indefinitely while an alleged pay-to-play scandal is investigated. It's overcome the drama to move within four wins of the national title.

Skylar Mays led the way for the Tigers in Round 2 with 16 points, highlighted by a clutch three with the game tied in the final minute.

LSU Tigers vs. Maryland Terrapins: Game Highlights

Maryland escaped a serious challenge from the 11th-seeded Belmont Bruins on Thursday but came up just short against an LSU squad with one of the country's most talented rosters.

Jalen Smith paced the sixth-seeded Terps with 15 points as their season comes to a close with a 23-11 record.

LSU built a nine-point halftime lead as the Terrapins endured one of their worst shooting halves of the season. They made just 10 of their 35 attempts from the field (28.6 percent), including five of their 18 shots from beyond the arc (27.8 percent).

Aaron Wiggins from DEEP

Although the Tigers' size on the interior posed a problem, Maryland also missed several open looks from the perimeter and a failed to capitalize on a series of close-range chances on its seven offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, LSU showcased its terrific depth as six different players, including three reserves, scored at least four points in the opening 20 minutes.

Naz Reid with the Flush

The Tigers' lead reached as much as 15 before the break, but back-to-back threes by Aaron Wiggins in the final 63 seconds kept the Terps within striking distance.

Maryland, which ranked 26th in KenPom.com's adjusted offensive efficiency entering Saturday, predictably made a surge during the second half.

FERNANDO FLUSH

The Terrapins completely erased the 15-point deficit with just over six minutes remaining in regulation, and it set the stage for a back-and-forth battle down the stretch.

3-pointer by Skylar Mays

It was capped by a wild final minute in which Smith answered Mays' three to level the score at 67.

Jalen Smith Ties It

Waters turned the final possession into a memorable one for LSU as he navigated traffic around the paint with a nifty underhand layup off the glass in the final seconds. A last-second heave by Maryland's Eric Ayala was off the mark, punching the Tigers' ticket to the next round.

LSU will need to elevate its level of play next week to reach the Final Four, though.

What's Next?

LSU moves on to face either the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans or No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Sweet 16 next Friday.