Photo by Dawson Eiserloh; Logos via sportslogos.net & LSUNO
LSU men’s hoops return to the hardwood on Tuesday with a familiar face beginning his second stint with the Tigers. Head coach Will Wade and his revamped Tigers opened the 2026-27 season with an overwhelming 100-57 win over the LSU New Orleans Privateers.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The PMAC was rocking early as LSU jumped out to a 10 -0 lead before the Privateers made their first shot four minutes in. Brice Dessert scored the first points of the season with a two-hand slam, baiinmsk dj Donovan Dent, Saliou Niang, and Michael Ruzic all contributed. Eze Nwakamma’s and-one layup were the first points for LSUNO.
LSU imposed its will against LSUNO, attacking the paint throughout the first half. In the first half, of the 15 made baskets, the Tigers recorded just two made jump shots as they took a 37-8 lead 14 minutes into the game. Those jumpers were a three-pointer by Dent and a 15-footer by Abdi Bashir Jr.
The Privateers scored over half of their first-half points in the final five minutes, and it started with a Khalil Singleton three from the top of the key. That shot put the team into double-digit scoring with 5:14 to go before the break. Kendrick Osby also scored LSUNO’s final six points of the first half, but the Tigers continued to build on their lead in the closing minutes. Dent and Ruzic went back and forth in scoring for LSU, but Divine Ugochukwu closed out the half with a buzzer-beating layup, giving the Bayou Bengals a sizable 53-17 lead after 20 minutes of action.
Similar to the first half, LSU’s defense pressured LSUNO from the inbound pass with a full-court press. That led to more live-ball turnovers and transition points for the Tigers, outscoring the Privateers 15-1 through the first six and a half minutes of the second half. Dent had 6 points and an assist during the run, including a heavily contested side-step jumper.
Both teams traded baskets for the next four minutes as Mo Dioubate got into the paint on back-to-back possessions. Yohandry Ortiz scored six points for the Privateers before Bashir Jr. knocked down a pair of three-pointers for the Tigers. Those shots put LSU ahead for the first time by 50+ points.
LSUNO went on a 10-0 run to cut into the Bayou Bengal lead as Solomon Ominu, Marcus McDonald, and Enzo Boudouma all scored for the Privateers as they reached the 40-point mark with 6:32 remaining in the second half.
The intensity withered at the end of the game with coach Will Wade emptying the bench to bring in the reserves. Guys such as Gilad Levy and Bradley Fife checked into the game in the closing minutes, with Levy hitting a wing three in the final minute. That got the Tigers over the century mark and was the team’s final basket.
At the buzzer, LSU walked away with a 100-57 win over LSUNO to start the season 1-0.
BIG NUMBER: 40
The last time LSU men’s basketball beat a team by at least 40 points was back on December 29th, 2024 when the Tigers defeated the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 110-45.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Donovan Dent
In his first game as a Tiger, Dent led the team in scoring with 19 points on 6/13 shooting, with five made free throws to add. He also had 10 assists to complete the double-double performance, four rebounds, and two steals as LSU began the 2026-27 season on a high note with a 100-57 win over LSUNO.
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