Field Level Media
Feb 29, 2020
Skylar Mays scored 24 points and host LSU shut down Texas A&M's offense in a 64-50 Southeastern Conference victory on Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.
Javonte Smart added 14 points for the Tigers (20-9, 11-5), who remained among the top four teams in the SEC. They currently are in position to have a double-bye in the SEC tournament, which begins in two weeks.
Savion Flagg scored 17 points and Josh Nebo added 11 to lead the Aggies (14-14, 8-8), who made just 1 of 9 free throws.
LSU swept the season series, having beaten the Aggies 89-85 in overtime Jan. 14 in College Station, Texas.
After a low-scoring first half, Quenton Jackson started the second-half scoring with a layup to pull Texas A&M within six points, 28-22.
But LSU built its lead to 36-24 nearly four minutes when Darius Days made a 3-pointer.
Yavuz Gultekin made a 3-pointer and another jumper as the Aggies closed the score to 43-36 with about 12 minutes to go in the half.
Mays answered with two free throws and a jumper to push the lead back to double digits.
Texas A&M cut the deficit to seven on three occasions before Mays hit a 3-pointer and fed Emmitt Williams for a dunk to give the Tigers a 60-48 lead with 3:27 left.
Jay Jay Chandler made a 3-pointer for the game's first points, which was Texas A&M's only lead.
LSU scored the next eight points before Wendell Mitchell's 3-pointer ended a nearly four-minute scoring drought for the Aggies.
The Tigers scored the next five points to grab a 13-6 lead and Texas A&M went cold again.
Flagg made a 3-pointer and Nebo hit a jumper before the Aggies again went scoreless for more than six minutes as the Tigers built a 24-11 lead.
The Aggies narrowed the deficit as Flagg and Jackson both made 3-pointers to close LSU's lead to 28-20 at the end of the first half.
At halftime, LSU retired the No. 35 jersey of former two-time SEC Player of Year (1989-90) Chris Jackson, who changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf after reaching the NBA.
--Field Level Media