Donovan Dent didn’t just finish the job for LSU on Saturday - he stole it.
With 1.5 seconds left in Spokane, the UCLA transfer buried a 3-pointer to lift the Tigers to an 81-80 win over No. 14 Gonzaga. The shot capped a furious 10-1 closing burst and erased a 13-point second-half hole for LSU, which moved to 4-0.
Dent was everywhere for the Tigers, piling up a game-high 23 points and 10 assists. He had 16 points before halftime, then delivered the biggest basket of the afternoon with the game on the line.
LSU got plenty of help around him. Abdi Bashir scored all 15 of his points from beyond the arc, going 4-for-4 on 3s in the second half. Skyy Clark added 14 points, and Michael Ruzic posted 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Gonzaga had the game in hand late in the second half. The Zags led 68-55 with 8:11 remaining and still held an 80-78 edge after Davis Fogle missed the second of two free throws with 12.7 seconds left. Fogle then launched a 40-footer at the buzzer that missed.
Fogle finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Gonzaga, while Braden Huff turned in 18 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double. Isiah Harwell added 14 points.
The comeback started to take shape when Bashir knocked down his third 3 of the second half to pull LSU within 75-68 with 4:23 left. Dent followed with a layup, Clark hit two free throws, and the Tigers suddenly had it down to 79-78. After a Gonzaga turnover, Dent missed a contested layup, but LSU got another chance when Fogle was fouled.
Gonzaga had opened the second half strong after trailing 39-37 at the break. The Zags shot 53.3% after halftime and used a 19-5 run to move ahead 66-54, with Fogle’s 3-pointer and Huff’s jumper pushing the margin to 68-55.
Dent’s first-half work kept LSU close. His banked stepback 3 at the horn gave the Tigers their first lead since 11-10 and sent them into halftime up 39-37.
Huff had eight points and eight rebounds before the break, while Fogle and reserve Izan Almansa scored six points apiece as Gonzaga took advantage of 10 points off nine LSU turnovers.
The game was played at Veterans Arena, Gonzaga’s off-campus home. Chauncey Wiggins made his Gonzaga debut and scored three points in 12 minutes after receiving a preliminary injunction from a Spokane County Superior Court judge Thursday for a fifth year of eligibility. His first 3-pointer of the game gave the Zags a 43-41 lead with 17:35 left.
Fogle also briefly left the game with 15:59 remaining after an apparent leg injury, then returned four minutes later.
LSU transfer guard RJ Luis Jr. was granted a preliminary injunction to join the team Friday but did not play.
In Other News...
Cincinnati Has A Real Chance To Make An Early Statement Saturday
Saturdays college basketball slate has a little bit of everything, from ranked matchups to regional games that could shape conference races by winter. Gonzaga is part of the top-tier action, with the Bulldogs set to meet LSU for the first time, while the day also brings a useful measuring-stick game for Cincinnati at Dayton and another intriguing trip for New Mexico to Santa Clara.
For Gonzaga, the early-season spotlight is exactly the kind that can sharpen a team before the schedule gets heavier. The Bulldogs have already handled their first two games, and this one offers a fresh opponent from a different part of the country, the sort of nonconference test that can reveal a lot without yet carrying league pressure. Even with several other notable games on the board, this is the kind of matchup that should have Gonzaga fans watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Gets Its First Real Test As One Backcourt Battle Takes Over
Gonzaga and LSU arrive in Spokane unbeaten, which gives Fridays meeting at Spokane Arena a little extra edge even before the ball goes up. It is the kind of early-season test that can tell you something real about both teams, and it comes with a national TV window on USA Network at 12:30 p.m. PT on Nov. 14.
The backcourt matchup is the part that jumps out first, with Xaivian Lee and Donovan Dent set to steer their respective offenses in a game that should have plenty of pace and pressure. Both guards are fifth-year seniors playing on court-ordered eligibility, and for Gonzaga, the challenge is not just handling LSUs first real test, but matching a veteran lead guard who has quickly settled in at his new school. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzaga Wasted Braden Huffs Big Night In A Brutal LSU Loss
Braden Huff gave Gonzaga exactly the kind of interior production it needed on a night when the offense never really found its rhythm, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds in a game the Bulldogs still could not close out. The effort stood out even more because Gonzaga struggled to shoot efficiently overall, leaving Huff as the steady presence in a matchup that stayed tight from start to finish.
LSU made the most of that opening, especially after halftime, when its perimeter shooting began to tilt the game in its favor. The Tigers kept hanging around long enough to turn the final minute into a one-possession finish, and Gonzaga was left to sort through a loss that felt particularly painful because of how much one strong individual performance deserved a better result. [Read more 🡒]