Mackinnon, Thomas lead LSU past Tarleton State 96-60 in a season opener for the Tigers

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Max Mackinnon scored 19 points and Dedan Thomas Jr. added 16 to go with eight assists in his LSU debut and the Tigers rolled past Tarleton State 96-60 on Wednesday night in a season opener for the Tigers.

Thomas went 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 4 at the line while grabbing five rebounds and blocking two shots. Mackinnon shot 6 of 7 and drilled 4 of 5 from 3. Mike Nwoko, who played a season each at Miami and Mississippi State, posted 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting with eight rebounds. Jalen Reed added 11 points and six boards off the bench in his first action since his ACL injury on Dec. 3, 2024.

LSU led 47-31 at halftime, then kept separation as the bench matched the starters’ efficiency. Marquel Sutton, who played three years at Omaha, scored 13 on 5-of-10 shooting with two 3’s.

LSU shot 70.2% overall at 33 of 47 and 8 of 18 from deep. The Tigers also won the glass, 39-21, while handing out 21 assists.

Tarleton State was led by Kade Douglas with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 4 of 7 from 3. Freddy Hicks scored 12 with five rebounds, and AJ Dent Jr. and Matyas Vrabel each added 10. The Texans (0-2) shot 20 of 62 from the floor and 7 of 22 from 3.

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