BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU continued its impressive start to the season Monday night, overwhelming Louisiana Tech on both ends of the court in a convincing 90-50 victory at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Behind relentless defensive pressure, efficient shooting and balanced scoring, the Tigers seized control early and never looked back, building a 27-point halftime advantage before extending their lead to as many as 55 points in the second half.
Michael Ruzic led LSU with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including a 3-pointer, while adding five rebounds and three assists. Abdi Bashir Jr. contributed 16 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, while Mo Dioubate added 15 points and six rebounds.
Donovan Dent finished with 12 points and five assists, while Saliou Niang grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists.
LSU shot 56.4% from the field (31 of 55) and 33.3% from beyond the arc (8 of 24), while holding Louisiana Tech to just 31.6% shooting (18 of 57) and 12.5% from 3-point range (2 of 16).
The Tigers' defense was particularly disruptive, forcing 23 turnovers and converting them into 38 points while recording 16 steals. LSU also held a commanding 40-24 advantage in points in the paint and outscored the Bulldogs 21-2 in fast-break points.
Louisiana Tech briefly held a 2-0 lead before LSU took control with a 10-0 run that turned an early 6-2 deficit into a 12-6 advantage.
The Tigers continued to pull away behind their defensive pressure and transition offense, stretching their lead to 23 points with just over six minutes remaining in the first half.
LSU shot 58.3% from the field (14 of 24) in the opening 20 minutes while limiting Louisiana Tech to 30.4% shooting (7 of 23).
The Bulldogs also failed to connect on any of their seven first-half 3-point attempts, while LSU forced 11 turnovers and converted them into 16 points.
Bashir led the Tigers with 10 first-half points on 3-of-5 shooting, including two 3-pointers, while Ruzic added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in just nine minutes.
Dioubate contributed seven points, and Niang chipped in six as LSU received contributions throughout its rotation.
The Tigers' bench also provided a significant spark, outscoring Louisiana Tech's reserves 23-12 in the opening half.
LSU closed the period with Ruzic knocking down a jumper in the final seconds, sending the Tigers into the locker room with a commanding 47-20 advantage.
The second half brought more of the same.
LSU opened the period with an 11-0 run, highlighted by a Dent 3-pointer, a 3-pointer from Pablo Clark and baskets from Brice Dessert.
The Tigers stretched their advantage to 58-20 before Louisiana Tech finally scored its first points of the second half with 16:13 remaining.
LSU continued to pour it on, extending its lead to 70-22 following a fast-break layup by Div Ugocukwu with 11:19 remaining.
The Tigers eventually built their largest lead of the night at 84-29 with 7:35 remaining following a dunk by Ruzic.
Although Louisiana Tech outscored LSU 21-6 over the final 7:35, the outcome had long been decided.
LSU finished with 43 second-half points on 54.8% shooting (17 of 31), while Louisiana Tech managed 30 points on 32.4% shooting (11 of 34).
The Tigers' reserves combined for 40 points, while LSU recorded 21 assists on 31 made field goals.
Jaxen Fenner led Louisiana Tech with 12 points, while Jalen Tyler added nine. DJ Bates and Etha Blackmon finished with seven points apiece.
The Bulldogs committed 23 turnovers, including six by Blackmon, and finished with just four assists.
LSU also controlled the glass, outrebounding Louisiana Tech 35-33, including a 26-17 advantage on the defensive boards.
Despite the lopsided victory, the Tigers struggled at the free-throw line in the second half, making just four of nine attempts after converting 16 of 20 in the opening period.
Still, LSU's combination of defensive intensity, offensive efficiency and contributions throughout its rotation proved far too much for Louisiana Tech to handle.
The Tigers finished with a 40-point victory after leading for 38 minutes and 49 seconds, another dominant performance fueled by their ability to turn defense into offense.
