Strong start pushes LSU to a 76-68 win over Mizzou in SEC

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tari Eason led five players in double figures and fifth-seeded LSU used a big start to roll to a 76-68 win over 12th-seeded Missouri in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament. Xavier Pinson and Darius Days combined for LSU’s first 14 points and a 10-point lead, and when Eason hit a jumper with less than five minutes to go in the first half, LSU was up 34-9. Days had 10 of his 16 points in the first half and Pinson had all 11 of his. LSU plays fourth-seeded and 15th-ranked Arkansas in the quarterfinals. DaJuan Gordon scored 19 points for Missouri, which didn’t get within double figures until scoring the last basket of the game.