Cam Carter scored 26 points and LSU pulled away to an 85-75 victory over Florida State in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Jordan Sears scored 21 points, Vyctorius Miller added 15 and Carter also had eight rebounds for the Tigers (7-1).
Malique Ewin finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds, Jamir Watkins scored 15 points, Chandler Jackson added 12 and Jerry Deng 11 to lead the Seminoles (7-2).
Jaylen Reed, the Tigers’ third-leading scorer and leading rebounder, left the game for good less than two minutes into it after suffering a lower-leg injury.
Carter made a 3-pointer to start the second-half scoring and begin an 8-0 run that gave LSU a 40-35 lead.
Ewin’s layup produced the Seminoles’ first points after nearly three minutes, but 3-pointers by Sears and Miller helped the Tigers expand the lead to nine points.
Deng made a 3-pointer and Ewin added a basket, but Sears answered with five straight points to give LSU a 54-45 lead.
Florida State cut the deficit to four points three times after that, but Sears scored six straight LSU points and Dji Bailey added a basket that gave the Tigers a 66-56 lead with 6:38 left in the game.
Justin Thomas answered with a three-point play and the Seminoles got within seven a second time as well, but Miller made a 3-pointer and Carter added a layup for a 74-62 lead with 3:04 remaining.
Deng made two 3-pointers to cut the lead to six, but LSU made consecutive baskets to regain control.
In the first half, the score was tied three times before Carter converted a three-point play and Sears added a 3-pointer to give LSU a 15-9 lead.
Florida State scored the next six points to create another tie and the score was tied four more times before a layup by Ewin and a jumper and a 3-pointer by Jackson completed a 9-0 run and gave the Seminoles a 30-23 lead.
Sears’ 3-pointer broke the drought and the Tigers made four free throws to get within 35-32 at halftime. Florida State did not make a field goal over the final three minutes.
–Field Level Media
