LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. (11/08/2026) — LSU made a commanding statement on its home floor, dismantling the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 90-50 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sunday before 7,802 fans.
The Tigers controlled every facet of the contest, shooting 56% from the field compared to Louisiana Tech's 32%, winning the rebounding battle 35-33, and forcing 23 turnovers while committing just 14. With four players scoring in double figures and 21 assists on the night, LSU's balanced offensive attack left the Bulldogs no answers.
How It Happened
Louisiana Tech drew first blood when Iyran Francis Jr. converted a tip-in layup 41 seconds into the game. The lead lasted moments. LSU responded with a systematic surge that made the outcome clear well before halftime. Abdi Bashir Jr. connected on a 24-foot three-pointer — assisted by Skyy Clark — to push the Tigers ahead 14-4 at the 14:23 mark.
The advantage kept building. Michael Ruzic finished a 3-foot dunk off a Divine Ugochukwu feed to make it 23-8, and Mo Dioubate followed with a 23-foot three-pointer to extend it to 26-10. After Ugochukwu threw down his own dunk at 9:03, Bashir Jr. connected from 26 feet to push the gap to 31-10. Ruzic buried a 10-foot jumper with three seconds left in the half, sending LSU to the locker room ahead 47-20.
The second half brought no relief for Louisiana Tech. Donovan Dent scored on a layup to open the period, then immediately drained a 26-foot three-pointer off a Dioubate assist to make it 52-20. Skyy Clark added a 24-footer from Saliou Niang to cap the extended run and push the margin to 56-20. The Tigers were relentless — Ugochukwu converted a Dioubate-assisted layup at 11:19 to extend the lead to 70-22.
Bashir Jr. then delivered one of the night's most emphatic sequences, hitting back-to-back 24-foot three-pointers — the first assisted by Ruzic, the second by Dent — in a span of 17 seconds to put LSU ahead 82-29. Ruzic closed the scoring for the Tigers with a dunk and a 25-foot three-pointer in the final two and a half minutes to complete the 90-50 final.
Turning Point
The game was effectively over at halftime, but LSU removed any remaining doubt with a 13-0 run to open the second half. Starting from the 47-20 margin, Dent's back-to-back scoring followed by Clark's three-pointer in roughly 90 seconds pushed the deficit to 56-20 and beyond. With Louisiana Tech shooting 13% from three-point range all game, the mathematical gap was insurmountable.
Star of the Game
Michael Ruzic turned in the night's top performance with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. The forward was physically dominant in the paint, converting dunks on multiple occasions while also demonstrating range with a 25-foot three-pointer in the game's final minutes. His efficiency anchored an LSU offense that generated easy looks throughout.
Abdi Bashir Jr. was equally influential with 16 points, drilling three three-pointers — including consecutive bombs in the second half — that turned a large lead into a rout. Donovan Dent contributed 12 points and a game-high 5 assists, while Mo Dioubate added 15 points and 6 rebounds to give the Tigers four players with 12 or more points.
What It Means
For LSU, Sunday's performance delivered precisely the kind of opening home message the Tigers needed. The 40-point margin reflected a complete team effort: 56% shooting, 21 assists suggesting fluid ball movement, and a defensive intensity that forced Louisiana Tech into 23 turnovers. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center crowd saw a team operating with cohesion and purpose from the opening minutes.
For Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs faced stiff resistance at every turn. Jaylen Fenner led the Bulldogs with 12 points and 4 rebounds, while Jay Tyler added 9 points. But 32% shooting from the floor and 13% from beyond the arc — combined with 23 turnovers — made sustained offensive runs impossible. The Bulldogs will look to regroup with the experience of playing in one of the SEC's marquee venues under their belts.
