Field Level Media
Jan 30, 2019
Point guard Tremont Waters made a season-high six 3-pointers and scored 23 of his season-best 36 points in the first 16 minutes to power No. 19 LSU to a 72-57 victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday night in College Station, Texas.
LSU (17-3, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) won its 10th consecutive game and recorded its first perfect January (7-0) since 1981, when coach Dale Brown took the Tigers to the Final Four. LSU is one of only four Power 6 teams unbeaten in conference play, joining Villanova, Washington and Tennessee.
Waters shot 11 of 18 from the field and 6 of 10 from long range. LSU also dominated the Aggies on the offensive boards, holding a 21-14 edge and a 21-16 advantage in second-chance points.
Texas A&M (8-11, 1-6 SEC) trailed by 13 points early in the second half but managed to trim the deficit to 56-51 with 9:35 left. Waters converted a three-point play with a drive to the basket and a free throw and then added one more free throw after a steal to put LSU back on top 66-55 with 5:09 left.
Texas A&M was paced by guard TJ Starks with 21 points and Josh Nebo with 16.
The Tigers opened the second half on a 14-4 run in a 5:02 span, getting three-point plays by Kavell Bigby-Williams and Naz Reid, putting the Tigers up 51-40.
Waters scored 23 of LSU's first 33 points and single-handedly kept the Tigers in front 37-36 at the break. Waters nailed 5 of 7 from long range -- three from the right wing and two from the left wing -- as he confounded the Aggies' man-to-man and zone defenses. He finished the first 20 minutes 8 of 11 from the floor.
Texas A&M kept it close in the first half, hitting 14 of 18 from the foul line while LSU was just 2 of 4. Starks, the Aggies' leading scorer coming in, paced Texas A&M with 15 first-half points.
--Field Level Media