BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)–Naz Reid scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 13 LSU defeated Texas A&M 66-55 on Tuesday night.
Freshman Javonte Smart turned in a second straight productive start in place of ailing point guard Tremont Waters, scoring 17 for the Tigers (23-5, 13-2 Southeastern Conference), who led by double digits most of the way en route to their 16th victory in 18 games.
Wendell Mitchell scored 14 and Christian Mekowulu had 11 for the Aggies (12-15, 5-10), who seemed to be hitting their stride recently, having won four of five when then they arrived in Baton Rouge to take on a team sharing first place in the SEC.
Both teams shot poorly, with LSU finishing at 34.8 percent (23 of 66) and A&M at 31.7 percent (19 of 60). The result marked the fewest points LSU had scored or allowed in an SEC game this season. But the Tigers were able to use their athleticism and aggressiveness to impose their will in the paint, where they outscored the Aggies 40-22.
Kavell Bigby-Williams threw down a pair of rim-rattling, two-handed dunks in the opening minutes and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Marlon Taylor dunked four times and had goaltending called against A&M on another dunk attempt to give him 10 points. Reid’s return to form came after he missed all nine of his shots and finished with a single point on a free throw Saturday in an overtime triumph against Tennessee.
Texas A&M appeared to be threatening when Brandon Mahan soared along the baseline for a tip-in that cut LSU’s lead from a high of 20 late in the first half down to 10, at 47-37.
But Smart came back with a driving layup. Shortly afterward, Emmitt Williams rejected Josh Nebo inside, and while the crowd was boisterously cheering that play, Smart hit a 3 on other end to make it 52-37 with 10:26 left.
Smart, whose breakout, 29-point performance led LSU past Tennessee when Waters was out with an undisclosed illness, continued to assert himself against A&M with a nearly end-to-end reverse layup that gave LSU a 15-point lead inside the final nine minutes.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
#13/14 LSU 66, Texas A&M 55
Maravich Center (Baton Rouge, La.)
ABOUT THE GAME
- The Aggies moved to 12-15 on the year, 5-10 in SEC play after a 66-55 lost at No. 13 LSU Tuesday night.
- It was a tough shooting night for both teams as neither shot over 35-percent from the field.
- LSU put together a pair of double-digit runs in the first half distance itself, taking a 36-20 lead into the halftime break.
- The Tigers remained in control in the second half. A&M was able to get back within single digits late, but LSU closed out the home win.
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggies held the Tigers to just 66 points in the game, their lowest point total of the season.
- A&M’s bench outscored LSU’s 20-0 in the game.
- The Aggies used the starting lineup of Chris Collins, Wendell Mitchell, Brandon Mahan, Savion Flagg and Christian Mekowulu for the sixth time this season (4-2).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Junior Wendell Mitchell led the way for the ninth time this season with 14 points in the game.
- Graduate student Christian Mekowulu added 11 points for the Aggies.
- Sophomore Brandon Mahan brought down a season-high eight rebounds.
- Junior Josh Nebo was strong on the defensive end, getting up for five blocks and grabbing five of his seven rebounds on the defensive end.
- Billy Kennedy is now 149-113 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 360-292 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M will return home for Senior Day on Saturday, March 2 as it hosts Vanderbilt in the second-to-last home game of the season. Tip is set for 5 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here.