LSU tops Sam Houston 76-67

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jordan Mickey scored 21 points and collected a career-high 15 rebounds as LSU defeated Sam Houston State 76-67 on Saturday.

Mickey, who was 9-of-21 from the field, was one of four players to score in double figures for the Tigers (7-2). Keith Hornsby finished with 16 points, while Jarell Martin had 14 and Tim Quarterman had 11.

Sam Houston, which trailed by as few as four points with less than two minutes to play, was led by Jabari Peters' season-high 15 points. Paul Baxter had 11 points, while both Kaheem Ransom and Michael Holyfield had 10 points for the Bearkats (5-4).

Mickey carried LSU to its 34-31 halftime lead. He had a first-half double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and scored eight of the Tigers' final 11 points. His three-point play put LSU on top 27-26 with 3:52 remaining before halftime.

Sam Houston used a 17-4 run to build an eight-point advantage in the opening 20 minutes. Ransom scored six of the Bearkats' points during that stretch. A 3-pointer by Ransom gave Sam Houston a 21-13 lead with 8:38 remaining in the first half.

The Tigers got off to a quick start after halftime without a big contribution by Mickey. Hornsby made two baskets, including a 3-pointer, and Martin connected on a 3-pointer to help LSU extend its advantage to eight points at 44-36 with 16:39 remaining.

Two foul shots by Quarterman gave the Tigers their first-double digit lead of the game at 50-40 with 13:50 to play. But, a pair of 3-pointers by Peters put Sam Houston down by just four points at 50-46 one minute later.

LSU was unable to separate itself from the Bearkats during the second half. A 3-pointer by Peters with 6:45 remaining reduced the Tigers' advantage once again to four points at 58-54. LSU did not increase its lead to more than four points until Martin made a 3-pointer with 4:05 to go.

In the final four minutes, Sam Houston reduced its deficit to four points on two occasions. The Tigers answered points both times. First, Martin had a dunk. Then, Quarterman converted a three-point play with 1:32 remaining to give LSU a 69-62 advantage.

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TIP INS

LSU: The Tigers have won four consecutive games - their longest winning streak since they won five in a row last December.

Sam Houston: The Bearkats allowed more than 66 points in a regulation game for the first time this season. Sam Houston defeated South Dakota 93-85 in triple overtime.

UP NEXT:

LSU will play at UAB on Thursday.

Sam Houston will play host to Eastern Washington on Tuesday.