National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Louisiana State 119, North Florida 108
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Officials: # Lee Cassell, # Jim Lindsay, # Mike Nance
Attendance: 8981

Forward Ben Simmons spearheaded a furious second half rally while guard Josh Gray efficiently ran the LSU offense in his first start of the season, propelling the Tigers past North Florida in a wild 119-108 win that snapped a three-game losing streak.

After trailing by eight at halftime, the Tigers (4-3) were unconscious from the field in the second half, shooting 77.1 percent while Simmons buoyed the attack inside -- scoring 25 of his game-high 43 points.

Gray added 20 points with six assists while forward Aaron Epps added a career-high 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Ospreys forward Beau Beech -- the preseason Atlantic Sun Player of the Year -- hit his first five 3-pointers en route to a 22-point first half where his team built as big as a 14-point lead while shooting 10-for-16 from 3-point land.

But the Ospreys (6-3) couldn't contain Simmons or the run-n-gun Tiger offense in the second half, running into deep foul trouble inside when forward Chris Davenport fouled out with more than eight minutes to go. Fellow forward Demarcus Daniels followed soon after, leaving no answer for Simmons.

Beech and guard Dallas More each finished with 31 points to lead the Ospreys, who made 19 3-pointers on the night.
Top Game Performances
 
North Florida   Louisiana State
Beau Beech 31 Scoring Ben Simmons 43
Beau Beech 5 Assists Ben Simmons 7
Dallas Moore 7 Rebounds Ben Simmons 14
Dallas Moore 6 Free Throws Made Ben Simmons 13
Beau Beech 3 Steals Ben Simmons 5
Demarcus Daniels 2 Blocks Ben Simmons 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
North Florida 108 51.3 19-33 11-13 18 33 3 3 11
Louisiana State 119 64.3 3-12 26-36 27 35 7 9 7