LSU routs Mississippi Valley State 106-60 behind Baker's 29 points
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Will Baker scored 29 points in 19 minutes to lead LSU to a 106-60 rout of Mississippi Valley State in the season-opener for both teams on Monday night.
Baker was one of four Tigers to finish in double-figure scoring. Jordan Wright added 12 points, and Daimion Collin and Tyrell Ward chipped in with 11 apiece for LSU, which made 57.6% of its shots from the field (34 for 59) and 53.8% of its 3s (14 for 26).
Rayquan Brown led Mississippi Valley State with 17 points. Arecko Gipson added 15, and Donovan Sanders poured in 13 for the Delta Devils.
LSU never trailed in the wire-to-wire win. Ward drilled a 3 at the end of the first half to give the Tigers a 56-29 lead. The Tigers extended their lead to as much as 53 after Adam Benhayoune’s 3 with 2:50 remaining.
LSU did not have transfer guard Jalen Cook, due to the NCAA denying the senior guard’s immediate eligibility request. Cook began his collegiate career with the Tigers before transferring to Tulane for his sophomore and junior seasons. He transferred back to LSU for his senior season, but the NCAA ruled Cook has to sit out a full season as a two-time transfer.
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