Photo by Dawson Eiserloh; Logos via sportslogos.net & LSUNO
The LSU men’s basketball team defeated Louisiana Tech 90-50 on Monday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. With the win, LSU improves to 3-0 on the season and has outscored its opponents 282-158 through the first three games.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Louisiana Tech scored the first bucket of the game on a putback dunk by Iyran Frances Jr. That would be one of only two field goals the Bulldogs would make over the next seven minutes.
LSU quickly jumped out to a 16-4 lead, aided by a 9-0 run. The three-ball, however, was not working early for LSU. Skyy Clark, Michael Ruzic, and Abdi Bashir Jr. each took their chances from beyond the arc, but the Tigers were just 1-for-5 from deep through 10 minutes of play.
Ruzic, who started the game on the bench, really began to make an impact later in the first half. He converted a three-point play before following it up on the next possession with a commanding dunk over Jay Tyler.
LSU was very tough to crack defensively in the first half. With four minutes remaining, LA Tech had managed just four field goals and four points in the paint. Clark was a lockdown defender for the Tigers, recording four steals and two defensive rebounds as the Bulldogs struggled to get past him.
Ruzic scored the final bucket of the first half. In a one-on-one matchup with Ethan Blackmon, Ruzic attempted to drive the lane but had to spin out and hit a fadeaway jumper to give LSU a 47-20 lead at the break.
Through one half, the Tigers were shooting 58.3% from the field, had gone 16-for-20 from the free-throw line, and had recorded 23 bench points and 18 points in the paint.
Donovan Dent opened the scoring in the second half with an up-and-under layup off the glass.
The offensive onslaught continued for LSU, with the Tigers going on a 13-2 run heading into the first dead-ball break of the second half.
Louisiana Tech just could not seem to make a shot. Through 10 minutes of second-half play, the Bulldogs had scored just three points. They had their opportunities, putting up 17 shots, but the LSU defense forced them into so many tough looks as the Tigers continued to shut down the driving lanes.
The most competitive fight we saw in the second half was a scuffle between Mo Dioubate and Blackmon at the 10-minute mark. The two players exchanged a few shoves and jersey pulls, resulting in offsetting technical fouls for each player. Divine Ugochukwu also received a technical foul, despite appearing to only be trying to break up the scuffle.
That would be about it after that, as LSU tacked on a few more points for a prettier box score before taking home a 90-50 win over the Bulldogs of Ruston.
For the game, the Tigers finished shooting 56.4% from the field and 8-for-24 from deep (33.3%). They also recorded 40 bench points, 40 points in the paint, and 38 points off turnovers.
BIG NUMBER: 8
LSU continued to struggle from beyond the arc, connecting on just 8 of 24 three-point attempts. While that percentage is far from impressive, the eight made three-pointers marked the Tigers’ highest total in a game so far this season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Michael Ruzic
The Croatian national’s stock continues to rise after another impressive performance against the Bulldogs. Ruzic finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, along with five rebounds and three assists in just 20 minutes of play. Following tonight’s performance, he now leads the team in total points and points per game, while ranking second in both field goal percentage and rebounds.
UP NEXT: LSU will travel for the first time this season to face #15 Gonzaga in the Bad Boy Mowers Series. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 P.M. Saturday, November 14th, at Spokane Numerica Veterans Arena in Washington, and the game can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.
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