Sizzling

• By GARY LANEY
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jan 22, 2009 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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All it takes is a couple of minutes, a couple of good screens. And for Marcus Thornton to get that feeling.

And just like that, a game can change.

“You hit one or two and you get in a groove,” said Thornton, who found that groove in a remarkable 3-minute, 40-second spurt where he poured in 17 points that ignited an 81-57 LSU blowout of Mississippi State Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. “They kept feeding me and I kept shooting.”

The senior guard known for his penchant for scoring in bunches was the key figure in a 22-7 LSU run over 4:37 early in the second half as LSU (15-3, 3-1) moved into a tie with MSU (13-6, 3-1) for first place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division. He had 17 of the points, all within 3:40, including the last 11 LSU points of the run.

Thornton scored 31 points in 32 minutes to lead LSU, which carries a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown with No. 15 Xavier at home. The Tigers go into the Xavier game with a full head of steam, having beaten the last three opponents by a combined 73 points.

While that will be a much-anticipated home game for the Tigers, Wednesday was not lacking for atmosphere. LSU sold a season’s-best 11,709 tickets for the game and the just under 10,000 who were actually in attendance were loud and had plenty to cheer about.

“They (the fans) were great,” said guard Bo Spencer, who had nine points and frustrated talented Mississippi State freshman point guard Dee Bost into an 0-for-6 shooting night. “They were loud.”

Especially early in the second half when Thornton took over.

It started innocently enough, with Thornton getting fouled with 17:23 left in the game. He actually missed the first of the two free throws. He made the second, giving LSU a 41-35 lead. He wouldn’t miss again for a while.

On the next possession, he knocked down a 3-pointer, then he stole a pass and was fouled on the fast break, this time making both free throws.

Bo Spencer broke up Thornton’s one-man streak with his own 3-pointer, but then it was all Thornton offense. He hit 3-pointers on the next three possessions, then had the crowd in a frenzy when he stole another pass and put in the layup up for a 60-42 lead with 13:44 left.

“I thought Marcus stayed within the framework of what we were running,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said. “We run a lot of series of sets for him and some counters and he came out and hit some deep 3s.”

And for the Tigers, many of whom are Baton Rouge-area natives who grew up playing with and against Thornton, they knew that when you have a hot Marcus Thornton, you keep throwing him the ball.