STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Cameron Thomas scored 25 points, Javonte Smart had 22 points and 11 assists, and LSU pulled away down the stretch to beat Mississippi State 94-80 on Wednesday night.
Darius Days added 16 points and 11 rebounds and Trendon Watford had 14 points for LSU (12-6, 7-4 Southeastern Conference).
Deivon Smith made a layup to cap an 8-2 spurt that trimmed Mississippi State’s deficit to 73-70 with 8 minutes to play. Smart answered with a step-back fade-away jumper and Thomas followed with a 3-pointer to start a 12-3 run that pushed LSU’s lead into double figures for good.
Tolu Smith had 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for Mississippi State (11-10, 5-7). Derek Fountain scored 20 points, Iverson Molinar added 16 and Deivon Smith 12.
LSU set season highs for field-goal percentage (61.3) and assists (22). The Tigers scored 26 points off 15 Mississippi State turnovers and had a 24-8 advantage in fast-break points.
Thomas hit a jumper to make it 35-34 with 2:45 left in the first half and LSU led the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs, who went into the game ranked No. 32 nationally in field-goal percentage defense (39.9), gave up their most points in a game since a 98-92 loss to Auburn on February 7, 2017.
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