Dennis and Marble help Texas A&M cruise past LSU 69-56

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Dexter Dennis and Julius Marble each scored a season-high 17 points, and Texas A&M pulled away early and beat LSU 69-56 on Saturday night in its SEC home opener.

Texas A&M (10-5, 2-0) won its fourth straight and ended a 10-game losing streak in the series.

Dennis and Marble were a combined 12 of 18 from the field. Marble also led the Aggies with nine rebounds. Tyrece Radford added 14 points and Wade Taylor IV had 13.

Adam Miller scored 16 points to lead LSU (12-3, 1-2). Cam Hayes and KJ Williams had 10 apiece.

The Aggies took the lead for good early in the game and built a 34-23 halftime lead. Dennis had 15 points that included a pair of 3-pointers and Taylor added nine points. LSU shot 29% and missed 10 of 14 from long range before the break. The Tigers got within 42-33 but didn’t get closer. The Aggies shot 50% in the second half and 48% overall.

Texas A&M’s last win in the series was an 85-73 victory in Baton Rouge on Feb. 4, 2017. The Aggies are 4-0 in SEC home openers under fourth-year coach Buzz Williams.

LSU hosts Florida on Tuesday. Texas A&M plays at home against 20th-ranked Missouri on Wednesday.

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