Jones scores 20 as No. 10 Texas A&M gets 71-57 win over LSU

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) Texas A&M's Tyler Davis doesn't command a fraction of the hype that LSU's Ben Simmons does.

That didn't stop Davis from starring Tuesday night when the two freshmen shared a court.

Jalen Jones scored 20 points and Davis tied a season-high with 18 to lead No. 10 Texas A&M to a 71-57 victory over LSU, extending the Aggies' winning streak to nine games.

''Tyler was good,'' Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. ''He ran the floor and got layups and we got him the ball ... (and) we were able to take advantage of him inside.''

The win improves the Aggies (16-2) to 6-0 in Southeastern Conference play, which is their best start to league play since they won their first seven in 1993-94 when they were in the Southwest Conference.

The lead changed several times throughout the first half and the early part of the second half and it was tied at 44-44 with about 15 minutes left.

The Aggies took over, using a 16-3 run to make it 60-47 with about 9 minutes remaining. Alex Caruso scored four points in that span and he was under heavy pressure from Simmons when he passed to Jones, who finished with a two-handed dunk to highlight the run.

Davis filled up the stat line on Tuesday, adding five rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block to his high-scoring night. Kennedy likes the way Davis has developed this season, but admitted that he was already rather polished when he arrived on campus.

''He's grown up some, but he came in here pretty good,'' Kennedy said. ''He came in here well-coached when he got here. He knows how to use his body. I'm really happy for him because he's a good kid who works really hard on his game.''

If Davis felt like his big night meant more because it was a game against Simmons he didn't let on, focusing instead on how he helped the team.

''I just went out there and did my job, did what I was asked to do by Coach Kennedy,'' he said. ''I was in the spots I was supposed to be in and my teammates found me.''

Tim Quarterman had 12 points for LSU (11-7, 4-2).

Simmons, who is perhaps the most-heralded freshman in the country, entered the game averaging 20 points but was held to 10 points with 11 rebounds and Craig Victor added 10 points while dealing with foul trouble most of the game.

LSU coach Johnny Jones complimented the Aggies on their work in limiting Simmons.

''I thought they did a good job of helping defensively, bringing help and making him play in traffic,'' Jones said.

The Aggies haven't lost since Dec. 5, and their winning streak is their longest since the team won 13 straight from Nov. 26, 2010 to Jan. 15, 2011.

LSU had three turnovers and went more than 5 minutes between field goals as A&M built the lead. Simmons made a layup with about 13 minutes left and the next basket for LSU didn't come until Quarterman's layup with less than 8 minutes left made it 60-50.

But the Tigers couldn't build on that and A&M used a 6-2 spurt after that to push the lead to 66-52 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

LSU led by two points after a 3-pointer by Antonio Blakeney with about 6 minutes left in the first half before A&M scored the next eight points to take a 38-32 lead.

Simmons added two free throws a few seconds later and neither team scored for the rest of the half to leave the Aggies up 38-34.

TIP-INS

LSU: Keith Hornsby added eight points and four rebounds. ... The Tigers made seven of 10 free throws. ... LSU was outscored 16-5 on second-chance points.

Texas A&M: The crowd of 13,888 was the biggest in Reed Arena history, outdoing the mark of 13,717 set in 2010 against Texas. ... The Aggies got 42 points in the paint, led by the performance of Davis. ... Danuel House had 10 rebounds.

BRIEF SUSPENSION

Texas A&M sophomore Tonny Trocha-Morelos did not play in the first half Tuesday night after being arrested early Sunday morning on a charge of driving while intoxicated. Morelos played 8 minutes in the second half and finished with two points, a rebound and an assist.

Kennedy didn't provide any details on his situation and said: ''We went through the process and were able to play him in the second half.''

QUOTABLE

Kennedy on how impressed he was with the 6-foot-10 Davis sprinting down the court on a fast break and finishing with a layup when a dunk-attempt by House bounced off the rim: ''To be 270 pounds, people don't realize how hard that is to do.''

UP NEXT

LSU: Visits Alabama on Saturday.

Texas A&M: Hosts Missouri on Saturday.