LSU over Weber State 72-58

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) Jordan Mickey scored a career-high 27 points and had 14 rebounds to lead Louisiana State to a 72-58 victory over Weber State in a consolidation semifinal game at the Paradise Jam Tournament on Saturday.

Mickey was 13-of-24 shooting from the field and added two blocked shots, two assists and two steals for LSU (3-1), which will play Clemson in Monday's fifth-place game.

''I just wanted to play my game, whether it be post touches, mid-range shots or in transition,'' said Mickey, whose 106 blocks as a freshman were fourth most for a season in LSU history. ''I just wanted to play my game and try to get my team the win.''

In the post, Mickey went up against Weber State's Joel Bolomboy, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats (1-3).

But Weber State coach Randy Rahe acknowledged Bolomboy was fatigued after playing a combined 70 minutes in less than 24 hours in the Virgin Islands.

''(Mickey) is probably a pro,'' Rahe said. ''`He's big, he's strong, he's athletic, he's aggressive . he's a really, really good player, and he can hurt you a lot of ways. He can hurt you at the block and he can hurt you away from the block.''

LSU led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but Weber State closed with an 11-2 run to trail 28-27 at the half.

The teams changed leads four times in the opening 3 minutes of the second half, and stayed within four points of each other until LSU made nine straight shots to go up 49-42 with 11:59 to play.

Mickey then showed off his range of skills late in the game, knocking down a 3-pointer and then a dunk in transition to give LSU a 68-55 lead with 3:26 to play.

''He had an exceptional game,'' LSU coach Johnny Jones said. ''He made some big plays inside and he had a really tough defensive assignment. He had to be all around the place defensively, and offensively he really carried the load for our team.''

Junior guard Keith Hornsby scored 18 points for the Tigers, who ended with their largest lead of the game.