JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Tremont Waters drove by three defenders and scooped in a banking layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give third-seeded LSU a 69-67 victory over sixth-seeded Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
"That I love them," said head coach Mark Turgeon when asked what his message to his team was after the game. "I love coaching them. They made coaching fun again. I was proud of them, and they represented our school all year in the right way. They're great kids, and I don't know why it didn't go our way today. But they deserved better and they can hang their heads high."
Eric Ayala threw a desperation heave from beyond mid court, but the shot was no good as the Tigers secured a trip to the Sweet 16. Skylar Mays scored 16 points and hit a huge 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining that put the Tigers (28-6) up 67-64.
Jalen Smith answered on the other end, sending the packed crowd into a frenzy and prompting LSU to call timeout.
Benford dialed up the final play for Waters, a dynamic sophomore who has been terrific all season.
The 5-foot-11 Waters got a pick from big man Naz Reid, drove into the lane and somehow got off the winner.
Waters finished with 12 points and five assists. Reid added 13 points, and Darius Days chipped in 10.
LSU outscored Maryland 34-24 in the paint.
The Terrapins (23-11) rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to make it a nail-biter down the stretch. Coach Mark Turgeon switched to a zone defense, which slowed Waters, and his guys started making shots. They even had a 3 point lead with 5 minutes to play.
Maryland trailed 46-31 with 16 minutes remaining after Turgeon was hit with a technical foul. But the call seemed to ignite -- or maybe infuriate -- Maryland.
Smith led Maryland with 15 points. Bruno Fernando added 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Maryland entered the postseason with the fourth-youngest team in the country, according to KenPom. Kentucky is the only team in the NCAA field with a younger roster. So the Terrapins could be in position for another run in 2020.
"I always grew up watching these type of games, these big-time games," guard Darryl Morsell said. "So just to be able to be in it, it's a great feeling, and just to have all these young guys coming back and stuff, it's just going to make us hungrier."
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