No. 19 LSU thumps Northwestern State, improves to 10-0

Published Dec. 14, 2021 9:10 p.m. ET

Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Tari Eason led a balanced attack with 18 points and No. 19 LSU beat Northwestern State 89-49 on Tuesday night, improving to 10-0 for the first time in 22 years.

Eason scored all but five of his 18 points in the second half, when LSU already had a big lead. Three Tigers starters also scored in double figures. Xavier Pinson had 15 points and four assists, Efton Reid had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Darius Days had 13 points.

Kendal Coleman led the Demons with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cedric Garrett added 15 points for Northwestern State (2-9), which hasn't beaten a Division I team this season.

Northwestern State held a 6-4 lead three minutes into the game before LSU’s defense took control. Over the next ten minutes, the Demons scored just five points, and the Tigers built a 26-11 lead with 7:32 remaining in the first half.

Pinson scored 10 points during LSU's 22-5 run. It didn't get better from there for Northwestern State, which scored only four more points before halftime as LSU led 41-15 at the break.

BIG PICTURE

Northwestern State: The Demons dropped their seventh consecutive game away from home. Six of the seven defeats have been by double digits, including four by at least 30 points. Northwestern State has road games against Texas A&M and Baylor later this month.

LSU: The last time the Tigers started 10-0 was the 1999-2000 season. That team won its first 13 games and finished tied for the Southeastern Conference championship. This year's Tigers have won all but one of their games by at least 14 points.

UP NEXT

Northwestern State: Hosts Southwest Adventist on Saturday.

LSU: Plays Louisiana Tech in Bossier City, Louisiana, on Saturday.

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