LSU 83, McNeese State 72: Jarell Martin scored a career-high 26 points and the host Tigers pulled away in the second half to top the Cowboys.

Brian Bridgewater came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points and Tim Quarterman finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists for LSU (4-2), which shot 54.1 percent from the floor. Josh Gray had 13 points and seven assists as the Tigers improved to 24-0 in the series with their in-state foes.

Desharick Guidry paced McNeese State (2-2) with 17 points and a career high-tying 14 rebounds. Jamaya Burr scored 13 and Kevin Hardy had 12 in the Cowboys' first game against a Division I opponent since Nov. 14.

The Tigers opened the game on a 16-4 run and still held an 11-point lead on Martin's dunk with just under five minutes left in the first half, but Burr had seven points in a 13-2 run that tied it at the break. Hardy and Keelan Garrett buried 3-pointers in the opening two minutes of the second half to stake the Cowboys to a 45-43 lead before Martin's free throws started a 12-2 burst.

Hardy's layup got McNeese State back within 60-57 nearing the midway point of the half before LSU finally seized control, scoring 13 straight points over a span of almost five minutes. Martin had a dunk and a jumper to push the margin to 81-63 with 4:20 to go and the Cowboys never got closer than nine the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bridgewater was 7-of-8 from the floor and had three of LSU's nine steals. ... McNeese State made just 7-of-15 free throws while Martin was 8-of-10 on his own. ... Cowboys F Stephen Ugochukwu had five points and seven rebounds off the bench.