The Bayou Bengals bullied into College Station, scrapped and clawed, but ultimately, No. 11 Texas A&M pulled away in the second half to avoid the upset, 68-57.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Jordan Sears off the bench

On Jan. 11, LSU head coach Matt McMahon made his first significant change in the starting five since Jalen Reed tore his ACL over a month prior. Starting point guard Jordan Sears would now be coming off the bench for freshman Curtis Givens III.

After a rough 11-minute, two turnover, one for three from the field (3 points) outing, McMahon moved the UT Martin transfer to the bench.

Since the switch, Sears has had three straight double-digit games, including 11 points tonight, acting as a spark plug off the purple and gold bench. Sears’s ball handling and passing ability gives the Tigers’ second unit a much needed boost. When Sears is on the floor, LSU’s offense ebbs and flows a lot easier.

For a player who came from Martin to Baton Rouge expecting to be the No. 1 option on offense, this can’t be what Sears, McMahon or the rest of the Tigers’ players and coaching staff first envisioned.

But Sears hasn’t complained or whined about it once. He continues to take his opportunity in stride and give LSU what it needs.

Crashing the Boards

Coming into Saturday’s SEC showdown, the Aggies lead the country in second-chance points, and with the Tiger’s inability to rebound the basketball, it looked like a mismatch between two contrasting sides.

But LSU did their job on the boards.

Texas A&M only out-rebounded the Tigers 38-33 (-5), which only led to 5 second chance points, as Derek Fountain spearheaded the Tigers underneath the basket with 6 rebounds.

LSU hyper focused on two things: tips and team rebounding. It’s the two things the Tigers haven’t been able to do on the defensive end of the floor all season long.

While it wasn’t enough to turn the tide against the No. 11 ranked team in the nation, it kept LSU alive, breathing and competing throughout the game.

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers

Following a road loss to top-50 SMU, the Tigers returned to Baton Rouge with a vengeance, launching a full-on assault during their 99-53 dismantling of Stetson.

“What are some of the areas you guys are really trying to key in on since that loss [to SMU]?” a reporter asked LSU’s Cam Carter following the blowout.

“Rebound, rebound, rebound, rebound, rebound, turnovers, turnovers, rebound, turnovers, turnover, rebound,” Carter responded.

It sounds like Carter didn’t say turnovers enough.

The Tigers have played their first five SEC scrums to start 2025, and have yet to turn the ball over less than 14 times in single one of them. They had 18 tonight, compared to the Aggies’ 9, as Texas A&M capitalized with 19 points off turnovers.

In a tough, grind-it-out conference contest that ends in an 11 point loss, LSU just can’t afford for that to occur.

“After this [Texas A&M], you’re at [No. 4] Alabama, and then at home against [No. 1] Auburn,” ESPN play-by-play announcer Lowell Galindo said. “That’s the brutality of the SEC.”

It sure is, LG. It sure is.

In the first of those two challenging matchups, the Tigers will look to get back in the win column against the No. 4 ranked Crimson Tide.