Stephen F. Austin @ Louisiana State preview

LSU has steadied itself after a pair of discouraging losses to Notre Dame and Marquette, heading into Saturday’s home contest against Stephen F. Austin with a lot of momentum after extending its win streak to three games with Wednesday’s victory over Houston. The Tigers got a career night from Aaron Epps and a key block from Tremont Waters in the final seconds of an 80-77 triumph, handing the Cougars their second loss of the season.

Epps blew past his career highs in points and rebounding, as the senior forward finished with 26 points (his previous career best was 17) and 16 rebounds (previous high was 13) for his fourth career double-double. “We won the game on toughness,” LSU coach Will Wade told reporters afterward. “We were really gritty down the stretch.” The Tigers reached 80 points for the sixth time in eight games and are ranked fifth in the nation in shooting from the field at 52.6 percent. The Lumberjacks are off to a soaring start, winning nine of their first 10 games with the only setback a five-point loss at Mississippi State.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (9-1): The Lumberjacks force an average of 23.6 turnovers per game, tops in the nation, and are allowing only 66.2 points per game. Sophomore forward Kevon Harris earned Southland Conference player of the week for the second time this season after scoring a career-high 31 points, including eight 3-pointers, in Saturday’s victory over Rice. Junior forward T.J. Holyfield scored just three points against Rice but is averaging 16.1 points per game on 59.2 percent shooting from the field.

ABOUT LSU (6-2): Waters, a freshman guard who blocked a potential game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds remaining Wednesday, leads four Tigers averaging double figures in scoring at 18.1 points per contest while ranking 19th in the country in assists per game (6.5). Epps had scored just 17 points with 18 rebounds in his previous four games before hitting 8-of-12 shots from the field against Houston. Sophomore guard Skylar Mays added 18 points and is shooting 89.7 percent from the free-throw line.

TIP-INS

1. LSU ranks 31st in the nation in scoring offense at 84.9 points per game.

2. The Lumberjacks lead the nation in steals per game at 13.2, while the Tigers are 14th in the country in fewest turnovers (98).

3. The Tigers are allowing 78.4 points per game and giving up an average of 9.9 3-pointers per contest.

PREDICTION: LSU 87, Stephen F. Austin 80