Tari Eason scored 18 points and LSU scored the first 15 points of the second half to pull away from Missouri in a 75-55 victory Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Brandon Murray added 11 points and Xavier Pinson, a transfer from Missouri, and Darius Days added 10 each as LSU (20-9, 8-8 SEC) ended a two-game losing streak.
Javon Pickett scored 14, Amari Davis had 12, Trevon Brazile added 11 and Ronnie Degray III had 10 to lead Missouri (10-19, 4-12), which lost its fifth consecutive game and 10th in the last 12.
LSU, which had given up 40-plus points in the second half of each of its last five games, held Missouri scoreless for the first 4:35 of the second half.
Days scored seven points and Murray had six during the opening run that gave LSU a 45-24 lead.
Davis’ layup produced Missouri’s first points of the second half, but LSU built the lead to as many as 25 points as Missouri lost by 17 or more points for the 11th time this season.
LSU outscored Missouri 45-31 in the second half.
Pinson turned the ball over on LSU’s first two possessions and both turnovers led to a 3-pointer by Jarron Coleman and a 6-0 Missouri lead.
But Pinson settled down and had an assist on Mwani Wilkinson’s 3-pointer for LSU’s first points.
Pinson’s layup gave LSU its first lead at 11-10 and he added another layup and an assist on Eason’s dunk that produced a 15-10 lead. That completed an 8-0 run that included four turnovers by Missouri.
Kobe Brown made two free throws to end the run, but Eason answered with a 3-pointer and Efton Reid added a layup.
Pickett’s layup ended Missouri’s eight-minute field-goal drought and he followed with another layup to get Missouri within 20-16.
Eason made two free throws and Shareef O’Neal added consecutive layups for a 26-16 lead.
LSU led by 10 again before Pickett made two free throws and Davis added a jumper to trim the lead to 30-24 at halftime.
–Field Level Media