Keith Hornsby sported the scrapes and bruises on his upper right back to display a job done well.

The LSU senior guard posted a season-best five steals in Saturday's 76-71 victory over No. 15 Texas A&M, but it was his theft in the final minutes that left everybody gawking.

Hornsby outhustled two Aggies to a loose ball with a sprawling dive as one of the key plays of a late 11-2 surge to fuel the Tigers' victory in a Southeastern Conference game at Baton Rouge, La.

"I was already amped up anyway," Hornsby said. "I knew it was a long shot to get to it but I said 'Why not?' I went for it and next thing I knew I dove and I had two black jerseys on top of me.

"Now I've got this strawberry on my back and that's OK. I see this and it reminds me of this good win."

Hornsby scored 15 points on a day in which LSU received typical strong play from Ben Simmons. The freshman forward had 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals as the Tigers (16-9, 9-3 in the SEC) remained in a tie for first place with Kentucky.

Sophomore forward Craig Victor II scored 16 points and freshman guard Antonio Blakeney had 10 for LSU.

Senior guard Danuel House scored 20 points by sinking 9-of-14 shots for the Aggies (18-7, 7-5), who lost for the fifth time in six games. Senior forward Jalen Jones, the team's leading scorer, had 12 points while playing with a hip injury.

Texas A&M senior guard Alex Caruso had 14 points and three steals, his 11th game of three or more thefts this season. Freshman guard Admon Gilder scored 11 points for the Aggies, who have fallen two games off the lead in SEC after opening conference play with seven straight victories.

Texas A&M senior point guard Anthony Collins played only five minutes due to illness and his presence was missed.

The Tigers pressured Texas A&M into 19 turnovers. LSU had 12 steals and scored 20 points off Aggies' miscues.

"It didn't help that Anthony Collins is out," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. "He is a big part of our team. He was throwing up in the first half. He has some kind of stomach virus. We had to play without him.

"Again, that is no excuse. Our guys are good enough to have won that game. We can't turn it over that many times."

One of the more costly turnovers was the play in which Hornsby all but short-circuited the Aggies' chances of recovering.

"I thought Keith Hornsby set the tone, diving after a loose ball there late," Tigers coach Johnny Jones said. "The type of play he made was pretty much how the game had played out with that type of energy, that type of hustle, that type of excitement by our guys. We won some loose ball wars today."

The Tigers held a one-point lead with 3:25 left and put the game away with the 11-2 run that opened a game-high 10-point lead. LSU junior guard Tim Quarterman scored six of his nine points during the decisive run.

The Aggies were ahead after rolling off six straight points for a 56-53 edge, but Quarterman drained a 3-pointer to tie it with 8:06 remaining.

Victor's three-point play gave LSU a 63-60 lead with 5:23 to go. The Tigers increased the lead to six points after Hornsby drained a straight-away 3-pointer and then came up with his crucial steal, and Quarterman scored on a fast break to make it 70-64 with 2:40 to play.

Hornsby's two free throws made it 76-66 with 31 seconds remaining as LSU continued Texas A&M's late-season slide.

"We just have to go back to the drawing board and find ways to win on the road," Aggies senior guard Danuel House said. "We're a good team. We just have to put pieces back together."

Simmons, who many observers feel will be the first pick of the 2016 NBA draft, delivered his customary solid performance. While his stat line was superb, he was most pleased with the fact he played all 40 minutes.

"I hate coming off the floor even if I have four fouls," Simmons said. "I don't want to come off. I feel like every time I'm on the floor that I can contribute and help my team win. I was just trying to take care of the ball and put my team in a good situation where we could get the win. People were stepping up."

Texas A&M shot 56 percent from the field in the first half and recovered from an eight-point deficit to hold a 37-33 halftime advantage.

NOTES: Texas A&M F Jalen Jones (bruised hip) didn't start because of an injury he sustained in practice late in the week. He entered with 14:50 to play in the first half and played 27 minutes. ... LSU freshman F Ben Simmons posted his 17th double-double, tied for ninth in school history with legendary Pete Maravich. ... Aggies senior PG Anthony Collins (stomach illness) played only five minutes before exiting. ... Tigers freshman G Antonio Blakeney averaged 26.5 points over the previous two games before having only 10 on Saturday. ... The Aggies beat LSU 71-57 earlier in the season behind 20 points from Jones. ... LSU has won 13 of the 15 meetings in Baton Rouge.