LSU head coach Johnny Jones

 

The LSU Tigers recorded a college basketball non-conference win on Saturday evening, defeating the Sam Houston St. Bearkats, 76-67, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

The victory was the fourth-straight for LSU, and their fifth-straight at home,

The game was the first for the Tigers after a nine-day layoff, following at  74-73 road win over West Virginia back on December 4.

Sam Houston led by as many as seven points, 26-19, with 6:29 remaining in the first half, before LSU went on an 8-0 run, to help propel them to a 34-31 halftime advantage.

The Tigers extended their lead to as many as ten points, 50-40, at the 13:50 mark of the second half, but the Bearkats refused to go away, scoring six-unanswered points, cutting the lead to 50-46 with 10:49 to go.

Another mini LSU run gave the Tigers a 58-51 lead with 6:54 remaining, until Sam Houston St. came right back, trimming the deficit to 60-57 with 5:00 left.

Three points was as close as the Bearkats would get however, as the Tigers went 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the last minute of the game, helping them secure the 9-point victory.

LSU out-shot Sam Houston St. from the floor, 43%-34%, while being out-rebounded, 50-42.

Jordan Mickey led the way for LSU, scoring 21 points, while pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds.

Three other Tigers totaled double-digit points, including Keith Hornsby with 16, Jarell Martin with 14, and Tim Quarterman with 11.

In a losing cause for Sam Houston St., Jabari Peters scored 15.

With the victory, the Tigers improved to 7-2 on the season, while the Bearkats slipped to 5-4.

View the game box score.

LSU returns to action on Thursday, when they travel to take on UAB.

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