National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Louisiana State 79, American U. 51
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Officials: # Anthony Jordan, # Rob Rorke, # Ken Washington
Attendance: 9902
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Officials: # Anthony Jordan, # Rob Rorke, # Ken Washington
Attendance: 9902
Freshman forward Ben Simmons recorded his sixth game with at least 20 points, pouring in 23 to give LSU a 79-51 win over American on Tuesday in Baton Rouge.
Simmons shot 8-of-13 from the field while adding six assists and five rebounds. Forward Craig Victor II added 14 points for LSU (7-4), which shot 61.5 percent (32-of-52).
Guard Jesse Reed scored 12 points for American (2-9), which trailed by five at halftime and shot 25.9 percent during a lopsided second half.
The Tigers held a 36-31 halftime lead but Simmons scored nine points in the first five-plus minutes of the second half as the lead stretched to 53-35 with 14:29 remaining.
LSU's bench scored 26 points and forward led the reserves with 11 points, helping the Tigers compensate for quiet nights by guards Tim Quarterman and Antonio Blankeney.
Top Game Performances
| American U. | Louisiana State | |
| Jesse Reed 12 | Scoring | Ben Simmons 23 |
| Jesse Reed 3 | Assists | Ben Simmons 6 |
| Andrija Matic 4 | Rebounds | Ben Simmons 5 |
| Paris Maragkos 2 | Free Throws Made | Ben Simmons 7 |
| Marko Vasic 2 | Steals | Ben Simmons 3 |
| Leon Tolksdorf 1 | Blocks | Craig Victor 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
| American U. | 51 | 44.4 | 6-21 | 5-6 | 10 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 20 |
| Louisiana State | 79 | 61.5 | 3-6 | 12-16 | 18 | 21 | 4 | 14 | 7 |