LSU Associate Head Coach David Patrick looked on from the sidelines at Memorial Gymnasium as the Tigers’ winless start to SEC play continued, despite a career-best performance from Australian wing Max Mackinnon.
The Tigers fell 84-73 to a clinical No. 11 Vanderbilt side, who moved to a perfect 16-0 on the season. For Patrick—the Bermudian-born coach who has become a vital pipeline for international talent in Baton Rouge—Mackinnon's emergence provided a silver lining on an otherwise difficult afternoon in Nashville.
In what was comfortably his finest game in a Tiger uniform, Mackinnon was a model of efficiency. The senior logged over 37 minutes, racking up 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting. His range was on full display as he hit 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while remaining perfect from the charity stripe with a 6-of-6 clip.
Beyond the scoring, Mackinnon’s discipline was standout, recording four assists and two steals while turning the ball over just once against a high-pressure Vanderbilt defense. He was supported by Marquel Sutton, who returned to double figures with 13 points and six rebounds, but the duo lacked the sustained secondary scoring needed to topple the unbeaten Commodores.
For the second consecutive outing, LSU were left chasing the game after a sluggish start. Vanderbilt ignited the home crowd early, connecting on six first-half three-pointers to build a 20-point cushion within the first 12 minutes.
The Tigers showed plenty of grit to whittle the deficit down to 14 by the interval, trailing 52-38 at the break, but the early damage proved decisive.
LSU emerged from the locker room with renewed defensive intensity, holding the Commodores to a dismal 26.7% shooting from the floor in the final frame. A spirited 12-1 run saw the Tigers pull within seven points on multiple occasions, notably following a Mackinnon pull-up jumper that made it 59-52.
However, whenever the Tigers threatened to turn the game into a one-possession affair, Vanderbilt found an answer at the free-throw line. The Commodores hit 15-of-18 second-half free throws to keep LSU at arm's length. Tyler Tanner led five Commodores in double figures with 20 points, while Tyler Nickel posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The loss drops LSU to 0-3 in the SEC, their worst start to conference play in two seasons. Patrick and the coaching staff now face a quick turnaround as they return home to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center this Wednesday to face a formidable Kentucky side.
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