BATON ROUGE  - Ben Simmons scored 23 points as LSU pulled away in the second half for a 79-51 victory against American on Tuesday night.

Simmons, who had six assists and three steals, was 8 of 13 from the field and 7 of 9 from the foul line. He scored nine in the first seven minutes of the second half when the Tigers (7-4) extended their lead to 22 points.

Craig Victor II scored 12 of his season-high 14 points in the first half, Aaron Epps finished with 11 points and Keith Hornsby added 10 for LSU.

Jesse Reed led American (2-9) with 12 points. James Washington scored 11.

American controlled the pace early and led 26-22 with 6:33 in the first half. The Tigers scored the next 12 points, including four apiece by Epps and Victor, and led the rest of the way.