After a back-and-forth first half, LSU basketball pulled away in the second on Thursday night as the Tigers (3-0) beat the Florida International Panthers (1-2), 98-81.

Despite spending most of the first half in the lead, LSU let FIU hang close throughout the opening 20 minutes, with the two teams separated by just two possessions at halftime.

That seemed to light a fire underneath the Tigers, though. In the second half, LSU's performance was vastly improved.

The Tigers started to pull away in the second quarter, leading by as much as 22 points before LSU took its foot off the gas and brought in its substitutes in the closing minutes.

First-half battle

Despite the final score, things were much more competitive in the opening period. While Florida International never led — aside fro

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