Led by a defensive surge in the second half, LSU defeated Wofford (0-1) 91-69 in its season opener at the PMAC.

“We knew coming into today’s game that we’d have a very tough challenge in front of us,” LSU head coach Johnny Jones said. “I thought they [Wofford] did a great job of making plays in the first half.”

Coming into the game, LSU prepared to face a sharpshooting Wofford squad, which featured Fletcher Magee, who was third in the nation in 3-point percentage last season.

Their preparation looked unsuccessful early on.

The Terriers shot 7-13 from the 3-point line and 17-32 from the field in the first half, to a 43-39 lead going into the second half.

The Tigers turned things around in the second half, going on a 29-9 run in the first 10 minutes of the half. They forced Wofford to shoot 7-33 from the field, and outscored the Terriers 52-26 in the second half.

“I told the guys, this is a new chapter,” Jones said. “It’s a journey. I thought did they a great job of getting off to a good start in the second half.”

Duop Reath posted a double-double in his first regular season game in an LSU uniform. The junior forward finished the game with 23 points and 14 rebounds. 

Reath is the sixth player of the Johnny Jones era at LSU to have a game with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior forward Aaron Epps showed his range, shooting 3-4 from the 3-point line and finished with a career-high 17 points and 9 rebounds.

“My teammates kept giving me looks and I was open, so I just let it fly,” Epps said.

True freshman point guard Skylar Mays earned the title of being the team’s ‘quarterback’, Jones said. He finished the game with 10 points and six assists.

“Mays is a great quarterback for us,” Jones said. “He’s only a freshman but he doesn’t play like it.”

Up next: LSU faces Southern Miss on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in the PMAC. The Golden Eagles opened the 2016-17 season with a 101-96 win over the NAIA’s Tougaloo College.