BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Freshman Mike Williams III matched his season-high with 15 points and LSU dominated the second half to defeat Alabama State 74-56 on Wednesday night.
The Hornets led 34-30 at halftime, then CJ Hines and TJ Madlock hit 3-pointers early in the second half to help maintain their lead, 40-35 near the 17-minute mark. LSU responded with a 13-0 run in which Williams scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, and the Tigers led 48-40.
Later in the half, the Tigers made six of eight shots and extended their lead to 70-54 with five minutes remaining. LSU scored only six points in the final five minutes and Alabama State two.
LSU shot 57.7% and made seven 3-pointers in the second half. Alabama State shot 29.6% after halftime and was outscored 44-22.
Jordan Wright had 13 points with five rebounds and six assists for the Tigers (6-4). Jalen Reed added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Trae Hannibal had 11 points.
LSU led 11-5 in the early going but Alabama State soon caught up and took a 16-15 lead. There were three ties and seven lead changes in the first half, the last on an 8-0 run by the Hornets that gave them a 34-30 lead at halftime. Madlock started the run with a three-point play and Hines capped it off with a layup and a 3-pointer. Madlock scored 15 points in the half.
Madlock finished with 18 points, Isaiah Range scored 15 and Hines added 13 for Alabama State (4-5). They each made three of the Hornets’ nine 3-pointers.
LSU plays Texas in The Halal Guys Showcase in Houston on Saturday.
Alabama State hosts Southern California on Tuesday.
___ Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
