COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- A day after Texas A&M entered college basketball's Top 10 for the first time in eight years, the Aggies looked like a team that could stay there awhile.

The 10th-ranked Aggies controlled the paint and played tenacious defense in the second half to post a 71-57 victory over LSU on Tuesday night before a record crowd of 13,888 at Reed Arena.

Texas A&M (16-2, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) pulled away with a 16-3 run midway through the second half and limited the visiting Tigers to just 20 percent shooting, 3-for-15, over the final 12 minutes.

Senior guard Jalen Jones led Texas A&M with 20 points, while freshman center Tyler Davis had 18.

The Aggies may have had extra motivation to face heralded LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons, but Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said that wasn't necessarily the case.

"We just win. That's all," Kennedy said. "We don't care. Just do your job. Don't get caught up in the hype or the rankings, just focus on doing your job and the rest will take care of itself."

The Aggies took care to contain Simmons, who entered the game averaging 20 points and 12.9 rebounds. By using several players to guard him, the Aggies were able to hold him to 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Reserve guard Tim Quarterman scored 12 points to lead LSU (11-7, 4-2). Sophomore forward Craig Victor II, who was in foul trouble, added 10 points.

LSU trailed just 38-34 at halftime and held a 42-21 lead early in the second half but faded under the pressure of Texas A&M's defense.

"We weren't playing great defense (in the first half)," Davis said. "Coach Kennedy said if we win on defense, we can win the game. We just executed, did what coach said and followed the game plan."

It worked. The Tigers shot just 32.1 percent (9-for-28) in the second half and hit just one of eight 3-point attempts. They hit five 3-pointers in the first half.

"We just didn't make shots," LSU coach Johnny Jones said. "We weren't patient enough to grind it out and make shots. We missed some shots early. We were not allowing ourselves to get in the (shot) clock and make their defense work. And we weren't rebounding well."

Part of the problem was that Victor picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench with 16:50 remaining in the game and Texas A&M leading 44-42.

That was when a close game that had been tied 10 times and had eight lead changes swung decidedly in Texas A&M's favor.

LSU center Elbert Robinson III hit a short jump hook to tie the score, but the Tigers managed only one more field goal over the next eight minutes.

Aggies center Tonny Trocha-Morelos tipped in a miss from guard Alex Caruso to start the pivotal run.

By the time Victor re-entered the game, Texas A&M had a 57-47 lead. Then, Aggies freshman forward D.J. Hogg immediately hit with a 3-pointer to push the margin to 60-47 lead at the 8:15 mark.

"Craig's been playing really solid for us all year," Jones said. "He's a force inside for us both offensively and defensively. Without him, we did not have what we needed inside. I thought Elbert Robinson gave us some quality minutes, but for Craig to sit that long ... we haven't been used to it. We have to have some other guys make plays."

The Tigers didn't.

LSU never got closer than 10 points again. The Tigers, who have shot extremely well in the second half of late, made just three field goals and a pair of free throws in eight minutes.

It was Texas A&M's ninth consecutive victory and 11th on their home court. The win was especially impressive because senior guard Danuel House, the Aggies' second-leading scorer, managed only five points on 2-of-9 shooting.

The Aggies compensated with 37 points from its trio of freshmen. Guard Admon Gilder came off the bench to score 13, and Hogg had six to go along with Davis' 18.

"I was proud of our guys," Kennedy said. "Danuel didn't shoot well but had six assists and 10 rebounds. The bench was the big difference.

"It's about the team. We've said that from last year on. These freshmen came in and bought into it. The culture of winning and sharing the ball and playing hard defensively is taking shape."

NOTES: LSU fell to 7-3 since F Craig Victor, a transfer from Arizona, became eligible to play. Victor was averaging 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds before Tuesday. ... LSU freshman F Ben Simmons had 10 points and 11 rebounds to record his 14th double-double of the season. ... Texas A&M sophomore F Tonny Trocha-Morelos was cleared to play. His availability was in question after a DWI arrest early Sunday morning. He saw action in the second half Tuesday and scored two points. ... Texas A&M senior G Jalen Jones scored 20 points -- the ninth consecutive game in which he scored in double digits.