Texas A&M Aggies vs Louisiana State Tigers Match Player Stats On Feb 26, 2019

Freshman forward Naz Reid, bouncing back from his worst offensive output of the season, scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lift No. 13 LSU to a 66-55 victory over Texas A&M on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge, La.

Reid had only one point in LSU's 82-80 overtime victory over No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, but he got started early Tuesday by scoring eight of LSU's first 14 points and accounting for 10 points and eight rebounds in the first half.

Freshman point guard Ja'vonte Smart added 17 points for the Tigers (23-5, 13-2 Southeastern Conference).

Playing its second consecutive game without starting point guard Tremont Waters, sidelined due to an illness, LSU played suffocating defense, holding Texas A&M to eight points in the first 10:25 of the game, a stretch in which the Aggies missed 12 of their first 15 shots.

Texas A&M (12-16, 5-10) finished 19 of 60 from the floor (31.7 percent) and 4 of 22 (18.2 percent) from long range.

The Tigers took a 36-20 halftime lead, and the offensive numbers for Texas A&M improved only slightly after the first 10 minutes. The Aggies finished the first half shooting 7 of 27 from the floor (25.9 percent), including 2 of 13 from long range, while LSU dominated in the paint, outscoring Texas A&M 24-8.

Texas A&M had more turnovers (10) than field goals (seven) in the first half. LSU had a 15-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the half.

LSU's Skylar Mays, who wound up with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists, had back-to-back steals in the first half, the first leading to a dunk by Marlon Taylor and the second setting up his own layup as the Tigers extended a 12-0 run over a 3:17 stretch for a 34-13 lead.

The Aggies cut into the deficit with an 11-4 run to make it 49-37 and closed within 61-52 with 2:31 left on Jay Jay Chandler's 3-pointer. But Texas A&M could not get any closer.

Mays surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his LSU career. Kavell Bigby-Williams had a double-double for the Tigers with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Aggies were paced by Wendell Mitchell with 14 points and Christian Mekowulu with 11.

--Field Level Media