Maryland men's basketball's late rally against LSU falls short in NCAA Tournament
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FOX 5 DC) - Tremont Waters drove around three defenders and flipped in a shot with 1.6 seconds remaining to give LSU a 69-67 victory over Maryland in the second round of the East Region.
Maryland rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half, setting up the thrilling finish. Skylar Mays hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, giving LSU a 67-64 lead, but Jalen Smith answered from the corner with 26 seconds remaining to tie it.
The first round of this tournament was a bit light on exciting finishes. New Mexico State's Trevelin Queen shot an air ball from the wing, missing a chance to beat Auburn, and Iowa State's Nick Weiler-Babb missed a 3-pointer against Ohio State that would have tied the game.
Waters took advantage of his opportunity. He ran the clock down, got a pick near the foul line and drove down the right side of the lane to make the game winner.
Third-seeded LSU (28-6) is heading to the Sweet 16 for first time since reaching the Final Four in 2006. The Tigers will face the winner of the Michigan State-Minnesota game. Those teams are playing Saturday night. Maryland finishes 23-11.