LSU finds way back to win column led by Eason at Texas A&M

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas– LSU improved to 17-7 (5-6 SEC) after defeating Texas A&M, 76-68, Tuesday night at Reed Arena.

The victory marked the 100th for head coach Will Wade at LSU. He improved to 100-46 overall as the leader of the Tigers.

After missing the last game against Vanderbilt with a knee injury, point guard Xavier Pinson returned to the starting five alongside Brandon Murray, Mwani Wilkinson, Darius Days, and Efton Reid. LSU is now 15-0 with that starting lineup and the win ended a three-game skid for the team.

The Tigers were scorching from beyond the arc in the first half, shooting 70 percent from 3 (7-10), compared to A&M’s 11 percent (1-9 from 3). Overall, the Tigers shot 54.2 percent from the field in the first half. LSU trailed 11-9 early, but ended the first half on a 25-5 run, taking a 36-16 lead into halftime.

The Aggies managed to cut the lead to eight with 11:42 to play, but Tari Eason went on an 11-2 run by himself over the next three minutes to push the lead back to 17. Texas A&M chipped it back down to eight once again, but it never got lower than that as the Tigers came out on top, 76-68.

Tari Eason led the Tigers in scoring with 25 points, 16 of those coming in the second half. Eason also grabbed 12 rebounds, securing his 6th double-double of the season. Freshman Brandon Murray continued his success with 14 points on 5-9 shooting. Xavier Pinson played 25 minutes and dropped in 11 points.

Tyrece Radford led the Aggies in scoring with 15 points, going 4-5 from downtown. Henry Coleman III secured a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

The Tigers head back home for a date with Mississippi State at the PMAC at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2. Tickets are available at LSUTix.Net The game marks the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.