Da Boot Sports
12/29/2025
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   BATON ROUGE – LSU’s starting lineup combined for 77 points, 34 rebounds, 16 assists and nine blocks as the Tigers finished non-conference play with a flourish in a 90-62 win over Southern Mississippi Monday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
   The Tigers for the eighth time since the start of the 1999-2000 season, finished with no more than one non-conference loss in November and December and enter Southeastern Conference play on Saturday at 12-1. Southern Miss falls to 7-7.

   DJ Thomas Jr., had 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting overall, including 2-of-2 from distance and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to go with a career high equaling 12 assists (second time this year) for the Tigers. Mike Nwoko had 22 points and six rebounds, making 10-of-13 from the floor. He also had a career high five blocks in the game and six rebounds.

   Max Mackinnon was the other Tiger in double figures with 15 points, with three treys.

   While Marquel Sutton and Pablo Tamba both finished with nine points each and pulled both pulled down double figure rebounds with Tamba grabbing 15 and Sutton 11.

   The Tigers posted 42 points in the paint and had a 14-7 advantage in second half points. LSU out rebounded the Golden Eagles, 43-39. LSU had 19 assists on 32 made baskets and posted just six turnovers in the contest with a season high team total of 11 blocks.

   The Tigers shot 51.6 percent for the game (32-of-62), making 8-of-26 from distance and 18-of-25 from the free throw line. LSU held Southern Miss to just 30.6 percent (19-of-62) with just three makes from distance and 21-of-29 from the free throw line.

   LSU, which led for 38 minutes of the contest, was behind just 2-0 off the opening jump ball and an LSU turnover before Tamba hit a three to give LSU the lead for good at 3-2 with 18:13 to go in the first half. The Tigers quickly raced out to a double figure lead on a Mackinnon three-pointer that gave LSU a 19-7 advantage.

   Southern Miss cut the margin to eight twice in the first half, but the Tigers went to the dressing room, up 11, 41-30, at halftime.

   LSU’s biggest lead in the second half, when LSU made 17-of-30 from the field, came with 1:17 to play when the Tigers led by 29 points.

   Southern Miss was led by Tylik Weeks, who played 27 minutes after getting four first half fouls, with 12 points and Tegra Izay added 11.

   The Tigers will be off on Tuesday and will begin practicing for the SEC opener on Wednesday. League play opens with seven games on Saturday as LSU will be at Bryant-College Station for a 3 p.m. game at Reed Arena against Texas A&M.

   LSU’s home SEC opener is set for Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m. against South Carolina. Tickets are available at LSUTix.net.


LSU vs Southern Miss
December 29, 2025
Post-game quotes

   LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon
Opening Statement…
   “As we wrap 2025, I want to acknowledge several members of our program who earned their college degrees. Rashad King, Pablo Tamba, Marquel Sutton, Jaden Bobbett and PJ Carter. Then we had two managers – Peyton Bourgeois and Kobe Haynes. I’m really proud of those guys and wanted all seven of them to earn their college degrees; five of them are working on another degree and one of them is working on his third degree.
   As for the game – I’m a big believer in that you’re going to play the way you practice. I thought our guys came back from Christmas break hungry. There was some disappointment and some things that happened on the defensive side of the ball in our last game before the break and our guys did a good job of taking that challenge tonight to hold Southern Miss to 30% from the floor and 20% from three. We played with great unselfishness on offense with 19 assists and only six turnovers. It was another balanced attack from an offensive standpoint. Great win and a great way to wrap up 2025. Now we’re excited for the opportunities ahead as we start SEC play this weekend.”
     On having 19 team assists on 32 shots made tonight…
   “It was key for us tonight. But we know that as we go to Texas A&M on Saturday, Coach (Bucky) McMillan is always going to have a top 5 or top 10 team in America in forcing turnovers, so it’s going to be a critical stat again on Friday. Southern Miss gave us a good test from the standpoint of mixing the defenses; you saw them play man (coverage), mix their ball screen coverage, 1-3-1, 2-3, and press coverages. I thought DJ (LSU Guard Dedan Thomas Jr.) really did a great job diagnosing what was happening on the floor. When we were able to get stops, we were able to get out in transition, and I think that’s where we can really flourish from an efficiency standpoint. All in all, ball security was really good. We gave up a few too many second shots; we need to clean that up. Overall, we’re pleased with the team effort.”
      On Mike Nwoko’s career-high five blocks tonight…
   “Probably my favorite stat of the game. He’s been so good offensively since he got here and he keeps getting better every time out. You see the connection that he and DJ have on the different ball screen coverages and roll opportunities. He’s scoring it so efficiently, but we’ve really challenged him to provide that rim presence for us. I’m sure this was a season-high in blocks for us tonight, but it all started with Mike. He was aggressive coming over and fixing some things that went wrong for us on the defensive end. I thought he was fantastic on both ends of the court, and that’s what we’re going to need as we go into SEC play.”

Junior Guard Dedan Thomas Jr.
On the dominant defensive performance as a team…
   “The coaches were really on us, but credit to them (Southern Mississippi) though, they made some really big shots and they really pushed us so just this whole week after the Christmas break, we just knew that we definitely had to prove that we’re actually a really good defensive team if we just play up to our potential, so I feel like we played a lot better guarding the three especially.”
On taking advantages of his three-point shooting opportunities…
   “I know how hard I work. I’m still very confident in my ability to shoot the three ball and (LSU Forward) Mike (Nwoko) even gets mad at me when I don’t shoot it. I mean I feel like I put in a lot of work in my three-point shot. The coaches are confident in me and my teammates are confident in me so I feel like I just put too much work in not to shoot threes more so I’m going to keep shooting them, just staying confident in my shot so it’s going to fall.”

Junior Forward Mike Nwoko
On having a career high in blocks…
   “I was just jumping to be honest. I kind of just went up and blocked the ball there really wasn’t much too it; and shout out to my guys they really put me in a position to go up and block those shots. They weren’t following so I was able to go up there and get the ball and block it.”
On the overall assessment of the team going into SEC play…
   “I’m very confident heading into SEC play for sure. Being one of the few guys that was on an SEC team last year, I definitely warned these guys a whole lot about ‘hey, the real deal is coming’, but being with these guys day in and day out for the whole summer and this whole season, I definitely know we’re ready so I’m excited about that.”
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​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/22/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU found themselves in a very competitive shootout on Monday night in the PMAC, but were able to defeat an explosive Prairie View A&M team, 104-90.

   The Tigers shot 27-57 from the field for 47%. They sank 7-19 from three point land for 37%. LSU shot 43-49 from the charity stripe for 88%. The Bayou Bengals out-rebounded the Panthers, 36-22. Both teams turned the ball over 11 times each.
   Sutton had a great game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double. Thomas finished with 21 points. Nwoko added 18. King scored 13. Mackinnon contributed 12 points. Tamba had 10 points. Reece finished with 8 points and Miller had 1 point. 


   Both teams raced up and down the court early in the contest, trading baskets in a fast pace, competitive game. LSU led, 17-16 at the 15:13 official's timeout. 

   Over the next four minutes, the Tigers would out-score the Panthers, 11-6 to take a 28-22 advantage at the 11:35 mark. 

   The shootout continued, with Prairie View A&M sinking eight three pointers to keep pace with the Bayou Bengals. At the 7:39 media timeout, LSU held a one point lead, 37-36.

   LSU struggled defensively to slow down a red hot Panthers team, finding themselves in a dog-fight. With 5:40 left in the first half, the contest was even at 42-42.

   Prairie View A&M took a 56-51 lead into the locker room at the half time break. 

   LSU shot 50% from the field in the first half. They were 6-12 from behind the arc. At the free throw line, LSU sank 19-22 for 86%. The Tigers led the rebound battle, 15-9. The Panthers committed five first half turnovers while LSU had eight.
   Nwoko led the team at the break with 10 points. Mackinnon, Tamba and Thomas all had 8 points each. Sutton scored 7 points. Reece had 6. King managed 3 points and Robert Miller had 1 point. 

   The Panthers sank 11 three pointers in the first half and shot 67% from the field. 

   Prairie View A&M picked up where they left off in the first half, out-scoring LSU, 11-9 over the first four and a half minutes of the half to lead, 67-60 at the 15:38 media timeout. 

   LSU would go on an 8-4 run to cut the lead to three, 71-68, forcing the Panthers to call a timeout at the 13:53 mark.

​   The Tigers battled back to regain the lead, 75-73 at the 11:12 mark.

   LSU was able to regain control of the contest and eventually pull away from the Panthers late for the victory.

   With the win, LSU improves to 11-1. Next up the Tigers will host Southern Miss on Monday, December 29. Tipoff is set for 7:00 pm.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/19/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU returned home to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday night and defeated the Southeastern Louisiana Lions, 78-65. It wasn't a flashy or dominating win, it was just a decent non-conference victory by the Tigers. Hats off to SLU as they came to Baton Rouge and played very well all game long to keep the contest respectable.

   LSU finished the night shooting 54% from the floor. They hit 9-22 from behind the arc for 41%. At the free throw line, they sank 19-27 for 70%. The rebound battle ended in a 29-29 tie. LSU turned the ball over eight times while forcing SLU into nine. 
   Sutton led the Tigers with 19 points. Nwoko had a solid game with 18. Mackinnon and Thomas both finished with 14 points each. Tamba added 4 points. King and Zipper scored 3 points each and Reece had 2 points.


   The Tigers out-scored the Lions, 14-6 over the first four minutes of the contest to build an early advantage at the 15:46 mark.

   Over the next five minutes, LSU would go on a 12-5 run to increase their lead to 26-11 at the 11:38 official's timeout.

   Southeastern would get hot from behind the arc, as they would out-score LSU, 13-9 over the next six minutes, cutting the Bayou Bengals' lead to 11 points, 35-24 with 5:31 left in the first half. 

   LSU would take a 50-36 lead into the locker room at the half against a very pesky Southeastern Louisiana team. 

   The Tigers shot the ball well in the first half sinkin 16-27 from the field for 59%. They hit 6-14 from behind the three point arc for 43%. From the charity stripes, LSU sank 12-14 for 86%. The Tigers held a slim 14-13 advantage in rebounds. The Lions comitted five first half turnovers while LSU only had one.
   Thomas led the Tigers at the break with 12 points. Nwoko scored 11. Mackinnon added 10 points. Sutton managed 7. Tamba contributed 4 points. King and Zipper both finished with 3 points each. 


   Both teams sputtered offensively over the first four minutes of the second half, with LSU holding a 54-40 advantage at the 15:59 media timeout. 

   At the 12:00 mark, LSU found themselves up, 61-48. 

   Over the next three minutes, the game slowed down offensively, as the Tigers led, 65-57 at the 8:00 official's timeout. 

   LSU would make the big basket when needed to help remain in control against the scrappy Lions, but SLU would not allow the Tigers to pull away for an impressive win. With 3:45 remaining, LSU held a 72-60 advantage. 

   With the win, LSU improves to 10-1. Next up the Tigers will host Prairie View on Monday, December 22. Tipoff is set for 6 pm and will be televised on the SEC Network. 

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/13/2025
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   NEW ORLEANS, La. – The LSU men’s basketball team found its rhythm here in the Cresecent City as the Tigers defeated SMU, 89-77, in the Compete 4 Cause Classic on Saturday night inside the Smoothie King Center.With the victory, LSU improves its overall record to 9-1, while SMU falls to 9-2 on the season.

   Four LSU players — Pablo Tamba, Max Mackinnon, Marquel Sutton and Dedan Thomas Jr. — combined for 75 points, 26 rebounds, 16 assists and six steals to pace the Tigers to their first Quad 1 win of the 2025-26 season.

   Sutton was one of three Tigers to post a double double with 23 points and 12 rebounds, with Mackinnon finding his shot from distance again, hitting 8-of-9 overall, six from distance in scoring 22 points. Thomas, for the second time this season, was in double figures in assists with 12, while also scoring 16 points. Tamba finished with 14 points and 10 boards.

   The first half was a tight battle with eight lead changes and five ties as LSU had to adjust its rotation after losing Mike Nwoko early and a little later Robert Miller III with two first half fouls. LSU would pull ahead for good on a Sutton layup and free throw at the 9:50 mark at 27-25 as the Tigers went on a 14-2 run.

​   SMU rallied back late in the half, but LSU still had the lead, 47-44, at intermission.

   Mackinnon opened the second half scoring with a three pointer, Thomas got a layup and then Mackinnon added a two-point field goal to quickly push LSU’s lead to 10 at 54-44 at the 17:40 mark.

   SMU made a brief run to cut it to six, but LSU quickly scored seven of its own to push the Tigers lead to 13 and LSU did what it needed to do to wrap up the win. The Tigers would lead by as much as 17 points with 10:42 to go in the game.

   LSU shot the basketball well all night long, making 36-of-58 field goals for 62. 1 percent and 7-of-15 from distance for 48.7 percent. The Tigers didn’t get to the line that much but made 10-of-12 for the game.

   SMU just missed 50 percent for the game, making 30-of-61 and 7-of-19 from distances. The Mustangs made 10-of-17 free throw attempts.

   LSU scored 50 points in the paint, to 38 for SMU and the Tigers led for 34:16 of the game.

   The Tigers are back on the court Friday, Dec. 19 as they return home to face Southeastern Louisiana. The game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. CT inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.

LSU vs SMU
December 13, 2025
LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon
Opening Statement
   “I’m really proud of our players. We pushed them pretty good this week at practice to get some things corrected. We really just wanted to get back to the identity of what makes us a good team. Obviously, Max Mackinnon’s performance shooting the ball was phenomenal, going 6/7 from three, but our identity has been in the paint. We scored 50 points in the paint tonight. That’s who we are. I was really proud of our effort there. I thought a big key to the game was, a week ago we had three five men, Jalen Reed, Mike Nwoko, and Rob Miller. Well, Jalen is obviously out for the season, Mike got two fouls in the first two minutes of the game, and Rob got two fouls in the first six minutes of the game. So, we were playing Marquel Sutton at the five and Pablo Tamba at the four for essentially the whole first half. I just thought they were warriors. Both of them go for a double-double. Pablo had 14 and 10. Marquel had 23 and 12. I thought they were awesome.”

On Pablo Tamba…
   “Well, his versatility defensively really helps us. We’re able to switch a lot with him and put him on the other team’s best player. I thought he was terrific. He gets three offensive rebounds. Then, you saw him get out in transition tonight and run the floor. DJ (Dedan Thomas Jr.) found him for a couple of breakaway lay ups. His energy, and I just always believe this, when you get guys like that, it becomes contagious. Guys just play hard every possession. He’s all about the team. He just wants to help his team win. I couldn’t be more proud of his performance here tonight.”

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/7/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


   FORT WORTH, TX - The Tigers stayed on the road, going to Fort Worth and were blown out by the red hot Red Raiders, 82-58. LSU was never in this contest. Texas Tech dominated the Bayou Bengals in every phase of the game for the easy victory. LSU never lead in the contest. Texas Tech was 13-27 from behind the three point arc for 48%.

​   The Tigers shot only 33% from the field on the day. They struggled from three point range, only hitting 4-24 for 17%. From the charity stripe, they sank, 12-19 for 63%. Tech out-rebounded LSU, 48-33. 
   Thomas led the Tigers with 13 points. Nwoko added 10. Sutton and Zipper scored 7 points each. Miller had 6. Tamba and King both scored 4 points each. Carter finished with 3. Mackinnon and Mosley both had 2 points each. 


   LSU started slow as Texas Tech raced out to an 8-1 lead, forcing Matt McMahon to call a timeout at the 17:01 mark.

   Over the next five minutes, the Red Raiders would out-score LSU, 15-10 to take a 23-11 advantage with 11:38 left in the first half.

   The Red Raiders were red hot from behind the three point arc, hitting 7-8 up to this point. With LSU still struggling to sink baskets, Texas Tech extended their lead to, 33-16 at the 8:00 mark. 

   LSU was completely out-played in the first half, as they found themselves trailing at halftime by 21 points, 47-26. 

   The Tigers played perhaps their worse half of the season. They only shot, 9-35 from the floor for 26%. They sank 2-13 from behind the arc for 15%. At the free throw line, they hit, 6-8 for 75%. Texas Tech out-rebounded LSU, 25-20 and both teams committed six turnovers each in the first half. 
   Thomas led the Tigers at the break with 7 points. Robert Miller finished with 5. Tamba added 4. Carter had 3 points. Nwoko, King and Mackinnon all scored 2 points each.


   At the 11:29 mark of the second half, Texas Tech remained in total control of the contest with a 59-40 advantage.

   The Tigers simply couldn't gain any ground on Texas Tech, as the Red Raiders remained red hot from the field, especially from behind the three point arc. With 7:44 left in the contest, LSU trailed, 74-46. 

   Texas Tech finished off the Tigers easily over the final seven minutes of the game.

   With the loss, LSU is now, 8-1. Next up the Tigers will head to New Orleans to participate in the 'Compete 4 Cause Classic' in the Smoothie King Center against SMU. Tipoff is set for 7: 30 pm CST. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

​   

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
12/3/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


   CHESTNUT HILL, MASS - The Tigers hit the road to take on Boston College in the ACC/SEC Challenge and came away with 78-69 overtime victory. After struggling badly in the second half, the Tigers found just enough to come from behind and tie the game to force overtime. LSU woke up in the extra period to take the win. It was great to see the Bayou bengals fins a way to pull out the victory on an off night.

   LSU ended the night shooting 29-72 from the floor for 40%. They had an off night from behind the three point arc, omly hitting 3-19 for 16%. From the free throw line, the Tigers sank 17-20 for 85%. LSU out-rebounded BC, 46-41. The Tigers committed ten turnovers while forcing the Eagles into 14.
   Dedan Thomas Jr. had a great game leading the team with 23 points. Marquel Sutton finshed with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Mike Nwoko and Max Mackinnon both added 12 points each. Robert Miller added 8 and Pablo Tamba finished with 5 points.

   
    The Tigers took and held the early lead, 8-4 at the 15:27 official's timeout.

   Over the next three minutes, LSU would out-score BC, 8-3 to increase their advantage to 16-7 at the 11:58 mark. The Tigers were playing a very physical style so far in the contest, crashing the boards well and controlling the game.

   LSU would go cold over the next four minutes, allowing the Eagles to score six straight to cut the lead to 16-13 with 7:50 remaining in the first half.

   The Tigers got their groove back, out-scoring BC, 13-5 over the next five minutes to take a ten point lead, 29-19 at the 3:05 official's timeout. 

   The Bayou Bengals would take a 37-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.

   LSU shot 49% from the floor in the first half. They struggled from behind the arc, only hitting 1-7 for 14%. They were 2-4 from the charity stripe. The Tigers out-rebounded the Eagles, 24-15 over the first 20 minutes. LSU committed six turnovers while BC had seven.
   Dedan Thomas led the team at the break with 11 points. Marquel Sutton finished with 10. Robert Miller and Mike Nwoko both had 6 points each and Max Mackinnon and Pablo Tamba had 2 points each.

​   Both teams played well to start the second half and the Tigers held a 45-33 advantage at the official's 16:01 timeout.

   The Eagles would go on an 8-0 run, cutting the LSU lead to four, 45-41, forcing Matt McMahon to call a timeout with 14:23 left on the clock.

   The Tigers would go ice cold, allowing BC to keep pace. LSU led by one, 49-48 at the 9:57 media timeout. 

   LSU continued to struggle badly on offense. With 2:53 left in the contest, BC led, 58-55. 

​   The Tigers would find a way to battle back and tie the contest to force overtime. 

   LSU regained their focus in the extra period, out-scoring the Eagles, 17-8 to earn the 78-69 victory.

   With the win, the Tigers improve to 8-0 and are ranked 19th. Next up, LSU will travel to Fort Worth, Texas to play Texas Tech on Sunday, December 7. Tipoff is set for 2:00 pm CST. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

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