In a thrilling conclusion to the Greenbrier Tip-Off, LSU overcame a significant deficit to defeat UCF with a final score of 109-102 after three overtimes. Jordan Sears was instrumental in the victory, scoring 25 points, while Jalen Reed contributed strongly with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

LSU found themselves down by 18 points early in the second half and struggled to maintain their momentum even after regaining the lead at the end of regulation. Despite this, they proved resilient in the intense match. In the final overtime period, the Tigers managed to surge ahead by five points with just a minute left. UCF tried to rally, narrowing the gap to three points, but critical plays by Vyctorius Miller, including a driving layup and a dunk from Sears, bolstered LSU’s lead to seven, allowing them to secure the victory.

Cam Carter also made a notable impact for LSU, scoring 20 points, while Miller added 16 and Dji Bailey contributed 14 points to the team’s overall score, bringing their record to 5-1 for the season.

On the UCF side, Darius Johnson stood out with a stellar performance, racking up 25 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. Keyshawn Hall and Jordan Ivy-Curry also had solid contributions, with Hall scoring 21 points and securing 10 rebounds, while Ivy-Curry added 20 points to his team’s effort.

The game saw significant momentum swings, with UCF establishing a comfortable 15-point lead at halftime and maintaining a double-digit advantage early in the second half. UCF was ahead 62-48 with 8.5 minutes left, but LSU rallied with Sears hitting three crucial three-pointers, narrowing UCF’s lead to just five points before closing out regulation with six unanswered points to push the game into overtime.

In the early stages of the match, LSU momentarily held a slim lead at 15-13 around the eight-minute mark. However, they struggled significantly afterward, missing 15 of their next 16 shots and being outscored 25-3 during a challenging 10-minute stretch. By halftime, UCF had developed a commanding 40-25 lead, shooting 46% from the field in contrast to LSU’s disappointing 25%.