Senior big man Duop Reath came off the bench and poured in a career-high 30 points in 27 minutes to guide LSU to a 97-84 nonconference win over UNC-Wilmington on Sunday afternoon at Maravich Assembly Center.

The 6-foot-11, 244-pound Reath, who began the game out of the lineup for just the third time in two seasons, drilled 13 of 17 shots as LSU (5-2) shot 59 percent from the field and showed no ill effects from its final-exam layoff.

Freshman point guard Tremont Waters continued his remarkable start with 20 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Tigers, who led the entire way in the opener of their five-game, 13-day homestand.

UNCW (2-5) trailed by 16 at halftime as junior power forward Devontae Cacok, the nation's co-leader in rebounding with 13.0 per game who also came in averaging 19.3 points, was held out until the second half. Cacok tried to make up for lost time, but he picked up his third foul with 15:22 to go and finished with 10 points and four rebounds.

In Cacok's absence, senior guard Jordon Talley and sophomore guard Ty Taylor scored 12 first-half points apiece for the Seahawks. While Taylor didn't score again, Talley finished with 22 points and seven assists and junior guard JaQuel Richmond wound up with 16 points.

Without the 6-foot-7, 240-pound Cacok patrolling defensively, Reath entered the game two minutes in and felt free to roam unchallenged. The Australia native scored 11 points in a row for the Tigers during a three-minute, 31-second stretch to give LSU a 25-19 lead with 9:28 left in the first half.

Reath took a two-minute breather, then he hit a jumper and a layup shortly after his return as the Tigers gradually pulled away. LSU built a 52-36 halftime advantage as Reath scored 19 points and Waters added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.

With Cacok available for the second half, UNCW got as close as 66-57 on freshman guard Jeff Gary's 3-pointer with 10:47 to go.