LSU opened up a 19-point lead for the second time in three days Sunday at the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic.

And this time, the Tigers (4-2) had no trouble holding onto the ball or the lead to down Rhode Island, 96-83, on a career afternoon for Emmitt Williams.

The sophomore forward led the way with game highs of 27 points and nine rebounds.

Williams shot 12-for-17 (64.7 percent) from the floor to provide 20 or more points for the second time in his career, surpassing the 21 he scored in this season's opener against Bowling Green (4-1).

He scored nine of his team's first 16 points to help LSU keep pace during a back-and-forth first half in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

And when fellow sophomore forward Darius Days scored eight straight Tigers points to edge them ahead, 31-30, with 7:17 before the midway mark, they never fell behind again.

Junior guard Charles Manning Jr., sophomore guard Javonte Smart and Williams each got involved to push the margin to 37-30 with an 11-5 run.

LSU took a 43-39 lead into halftime.

And when the Rams (4-2) drew back to within one point early in the second half, the Tigers responded with a 17-8 run.

Coach Will Wade's squad established its first double-digit lead, 64-54, with 12:06 left to play and never let Rhode Island back any closer than eight.

Instead, Williams and senior guard Skylar Mays eventually helped pull farther away with an 11-3 run to extend the lead to 94-75 in the final minutes.

LSU shot a season-best 38-for-70 from the floor thanks to a season-high 19 assists and season-low 11 turnovers to shake back from Friday's missed opportunity against No. 15 Utah State (6-0).

The Tigers also out-rebounded the Rams, 41-28, and turned those second chances in a 16-7 advantage off the glass.

Days helped lead the charge with 16 points and nine rebounds, and freshman forward Trendon Watford added 16 points and six boards.

Mays and Smart finished with 14 and 11 points, respectively, and six assists each.

The senior added four rebounds and just one turnover, while Smart recorded three steals, two boards and four turnovers.

Junior point guard Daron "Fatts" Russell led Rhode Island with 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting (50 percent), including 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from 3-point range, as well as eight assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Senior forward Cyril Langevine and senior guard Jeff Dowtin added an efficient 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Langevine shot 7-for-11 (63.6 percent) and led the team with six rebounds, and Dowtin finished 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from the floor.

Freshman forward Jacob Toppin added 10 points and three boards off the bench.

LSU returns home to host Missouri State (3-4) at 7 p.m. Friday.