BATON ROUGE – Frank Bartley scored a team-high 21 points, including tying a season-high with five 3-pointers, but LSU used a 22-13 second quarter to take a 12-point lead at halftime and earn an 84-76 victory over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Duop Reath posted a double-double for third-seeded LSU (18-14), scoring a game-high 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds with Brandon Sampson adding 18 points and Skylar Mays 11. The Tigers advanced to face No. 2-seeded Utah in the second round.