Ben Simmons passes instead of shooting in waning moments of LSU’s first loss

Ben Simmons turned in another head-shaking stat line Monday night. His passing skills dazzled, his defense frustrated and his offense delighted, particularly a running overhead shot that gave LSU its first lead in the final minute.

What the nation’s best freshman didn’t do in his first 20-20 game was knock down the game-winning shot twice in the final seconds when presented with the opportunity. He passed up both shots in favor of passes to teammates. The first was a good decision as Marquette defenders converged on him near the free throw line. The second decision is one he’ll probably want back but also one from which he will learn

[Indiana’s defensive issues resurface in alarming upset loss]

Jalyn Patterson missed a deep 3-pointer off of Simmons’ pass and Marquette celebrated handing Simmons and his LSU teammates their first loss of the season 81-80 and the first loss of Simmons’ oollege career in a semifinal of the Legends Classic.

Simmons scored 21 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, dished seven assists and led a comeback in the final minutes after LSU had fallen behind by nine with under five minutes to play. There wasn’t much Simmons didn’t do to guide his team into position to win it at the end except for taking that final shot, which is really the moment that lingers in minds from this one.

One of Simmons’ greatest attributes, especially considering he’s only a freshman, is his unselfishness and his ability to create shots for teammates by drawing defenders and finding the open man. But that inclination to pass worked against him Monday when he passed up a good look at an 18-foot jump shot to pass the ball to a teammate for a much longer attempt.

[Miami won’t be overlooked any longer after its Puerto Rico dominance]

Marquette freshman forward Henry Ellenson had a decent night against Simmons in one of the best early season matchups of premier freshman in the nation. Before fouling out late in the game against Simmons, Ellenson scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and helped set a tone on defense that kept LSU out of a rhythm much of the night.

But LSU turned to defense as well when it needed to get back in the game, using a press to force turnovers and get some easy looks. The strategy worked well but the Tigers couldn’t make it stick at the end. The next time they find themselves in a tight, late-game situation, LSU will be able to draw on this experience. So will Simmons.

– – – – – – –

[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo