By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
It was a little hard to tell the difference between LSU and LSU-New Orleans as the regular season opener began Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
This was because each team wore variations of LSU’s Purple and Gold colors as LSU-NO rejoined the Louisiana State system after leaving in 2011 for the University of Louisiana system.
But in less than five minutes, the true colors of LSU-Only began to show and point the way to a 100-57 win in coach Will Wade’s first game back after a previous stint from 2017-22.
LSU took a 10-0 lead on a thunderous dunk by freshman 7-foot center Michael Ruzic, a former professional player in Catalonia, Spain, who is from Zadar, Croatia. He finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
Then it was 24-4 about five minutes later on a layup by 6-7 forward Saliou Niang, a former pro in Bologna, Italy, who is from Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa. He scored 14 with 14 rebounds, five assists and six steals.
And by the 5:41 mark of the period, it was 40-8 on a three-pointer by senior point guard Donovan Dent, a transfer from UCLA who got the assist from his teammate at UCLA last year – guard Skyy Clark. Dent finished with 19 points and 10 assists.
LSU (1-0), which next plays on Friday against Texas Southern (7 p.m., SEC Network+), led by as many as 36 in the first half at 49-13 and at the end of the half at 53-17.
The Tigers stretched the lead to 41 less than three minutes into the second half on a jumper by Dent for a 58-17 lead. Then it was a 50-point lead at 68-18 with 14:32 to play on a pair of Dent free throws.
It was a night of stars and electricity beginning with the pre-game introduction of Wade, aka The General, who drew easily the loudest ovation. The Tigers showed height, power and finesse throughout the night. But Wade got bored and drew a technical with 4:48 to play and leading by 87-44.
“It was a solid first outing,” Wade said. “We’ve got a job to do. We’re not back for nostalgia. We’re here to win. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Donovan was great. He was in total control of the game.”
Six Tigers in all scored in double figures. Center Brice Dessert, a senior who played professionally in Istanbul, Turkey, this year scored 13 points with seven rebounds. Senior guard Abdi Bashir, a transfer from Kansas State scored 11 points. And senior forward Mo Dioubate added 10.
But the most poignant moments of the nights came when legendary coach Dale Brown and former superstar center Bob Pettit were honored before the tip-off. Brown, who was LSU’s coach from 1972-97 and took the Tigers to two Final Fours, passed away on Oct. 23 at age 90. Pettit, who took LSU to its first Final Four in 1953 and became an NBA legend, passed on Sept. 23 at age 93.
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