Tigers get big win over Aggies, 76-71

Both Ben Simmons and Craig Victor scored 16 points as LSU remained tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference with a 76-71 victory against Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon at the PMAC.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Simmons stat line tells the story about his performance against the Aggies. He finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and no turnovers while playing the entire game. The one poor number was his field goal percentage – 36 percent (4-of-11). However, Simmons was 8-of-9 at the foul line after going just 9-of-20 at the free throw line the previous three games. The double-double was the 17th in 25 games this season for Simmons. His two foul shots with 6:24 remaining in the game tied the score at 60-60. LSU went on a 16-6 run after those two free throws. Simmons’ seven assists and three steals matched his high in a SEC game this season.

Simmons’ comments: “This win was huge because they beat us on their home court. We try to defend our home court every time we go out there. Texas A&M is long, so you don’t want them to set up in the zone because they can clog the court. We were able to push the ball and Tim (Quarterman) was able to find gaps. Keith (Hornsby) was hitting shots and Craig (Victor) was doing the work inside. I’ve been missing a lot of free throws the last few games. I just took my time and focused when I had my chance today.”

TURNING POINT

Two foul shots by Alex Caruso pulled Texas A&M within one point at 65-64 with 3:25 remaining in the game. On the ensuing possession, Keith Hornsby made a 3-pointer – just his second of the game. Hornsby then stole the ball from Jalen Jones and fed Tim Quarterman for a layup to put the Tigers ahead 70-64 with 2:39 left. The Aggies came no closer than four points the rest of the afternoon.

DECIDING STRETCH

Texas A&M scored on its first two possessions of the second half on a basket by Caruso and a 3-pointer by Jones. The trey by Jones put the Aggies ahead 42-35 – their biggest lead of the day – less than one minute into the second half. LSU, which led by as many as eight points in the first half, was teetering. But, Victor sparked a run of seven consecutive points which tied the score. Victor sank a pair of foul shots sandwiched around a 3-pointer by Antonio Blakeney. Victor’s second pair of free throws evened the score at 42-42 with 16:36 to play. During that two-minute stretch, Texas A&M missed four shots and committed a turnover. The Tigers never trailed by more than four points the rest of the way and took the lead for good on a three-point play by Victor at 63-60 with 5:23 remaining.

KEY TEAM STATISTICS

LSU won despite getting badly outshot from the field. The Aggies made 56 percent of their field goal attempts (29-of-52), while the Tigers shot just 42 percent from the field (24-of-57). LSU did shoot 50 percent from the field (12-of-24) while scoring 43 second-half points. . .The Tigers enjoyed a big advantage at the foul line. LSU shot 79 percent at the free throw line (23-of-29). Texas A&M went to the foul line just seven times and made six. The Aggies were called for 23 fouls, while the Tigers were whistled for just ten fouls. . .Neither team shot well from behind the 3-point line. LSU was 5-of-18 on 3-pointers, while Texas A&M was 7-of-20 on shots from behind the arc. . .The Tigers had one more rebound than the Aggies – 31-30. . .The Aggies committed 19 turnovers – ten more than LSU. The Tigers had 12 steals, their most against a SEC opponent this season.

NOTES

LSU’s starting lineup consisted of Quarterman at point guard, Blakeney and Hornsby on the wings and Simmons and Victor in the post. . .Victor’s performance in the second half was a huge factor in the Tigers victory. Victor had just two points and one rebound in the first half after picking up two fouls in the opening five minutes. Victor had 14 points in the second half. His three-point play broke a 60-60 tie with 5:23 remaining in the game. Victor was 8-of-9 at the foul line after halftime. His 16 points matched his second most against a SEC team this season. Victor had scored only 14 points in the previous two games. . .Hornsby was just 2-of-6 on 3-pointers, but his second one made it a two-possession game just under the three-minute of the second half. Hornsby finished with 15 points – his third highest total in a conference game this season. Hornsby has now scored in double figures four games in a row after not reaching ten points in four of the previous five games. Hornsby, who was 5-of-10 from the field, made a career-best five steals. . .Blakeney had 10 points in 34 minutes. He was 4-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-6 on 3-pointers. . .Quarterman scored nine points – all in the last eight-plus minutes of the game. Quarterman’s only 3-pointer of the afternoon tied the score at 56-56 with 8:04 remaining. He made four straight foul shots to enable the Tigers to extend their lead to eight minutes during the last two minutes. Quarterman had five rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes. . .LSU received only ten points from its bench. Both Josh Gray and Brian Bridgewater had four points, while Aaron Epps had one basket. . .The Tigers had a 16-8 lead in the first half. But, the Aggies went on a 10-2 run to tie the score. Texas A&M led 37-33 at halftime. . .Danuel House had 20 points, while Caruso had 14 points for the Aggies. Jones, who did not start, finished with 12 points. Starting guard Anthony Collins played just five minutes because of illness. . .LSU had lost four of its last five games against Texas A&M. . .The Tigers are 16-9 overall, 9-3 in the SEC. LSU is tied with Kentucky for first place in the SEC. The Wildcats won at South Carolina 89-62 on Saturday. The Aggies, who are 18-7 overall and 7-5 in the SEC, have lost five straight league games. Texas A&M is two games behind LSU and Kentucky. . .The paid attendance was 12,928. The actual crowd was a little less than 11,000.

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM

Coach Johnny Jones’ comments: “Our guys came out in the first five minutes or so and played at a certain level of energy and excitement. We had a little bit of a deficit at the half because of some foul trouble. Our guys did a great job of closing out the game. We had great stops on defense. On offense, we stayed away from taking the tough shots and we took care of the basketball. Craig Victor came up big today. He wasn’t distracted by what had transpired in the first half (two fouls).”

UP NEXT

LSU will play host to Alabama at the PMAC on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide (14-9, 5-6) played Florida in Gainesville on Saturday night. Tipoff for the LSU-Alabama game is set for 8 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.