LSU leads from start, dominates DePaul for Emerald Coast Classic title

Pablo Tamba had 14 points and seven rebounds on Saturday, leading LSU to a convincing 96-63 victory over DePaul in the Emerald Coast Classic final in Niceville, Fla.Mike Nwoko added 13 points and six rebounds, and freshman Jalen Reece chipped in 13 points and six assists for the Tigers (7-0), who led by 28 points at halftime. Max Mackinnon scored 13 points in the game, followed by Dedan Thomas Jr.’s 12 and Robert Miller III’s 12. Reserve Rashad King had 11 in the win.Kruz McClure led the Blue Demons (5-3) with a game-high 22 points off the bench, followed by CJ Gunn and RJ Smith with nine points apiece.After leading 50-22 at halftime, LSU went ahead 57-24 with 17:34 left on Tamba and Nwoko’s consecutive layups.DePaul scored back-to-back baskets for the first time without LSU scoring as McClure’s layup and Kaleb Banks’ 3-pointer pulled the Blue Demons within 30 with 12:37 remaining.Reece’s consecutive layups gave LSU a 73-40 edge at the 8:30 mark.Nwoko’s dunk and Marquel Sutton’s layup with 2:17 left gave the Tigers a 91-58 lead, punctuating a dominant win in which they never trailed.Thomas’ layup gave LSU an early 6-0 lead, before Tamba’s free throws extended the Tigers lead to 12-4 with 15:49 left in the first half.Mackinnon drilled the Tigers’ first triple, extending the margin to 22-10.

Video Highlights