BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Trendon Watford scored 18 points and missed just two of 12 foul shots and LSU controlled Louisiana Tech from the outset in an 86-55 win on Sunday.
Javonte Smart and Cameron Thomas each scored 16 for the Tigers (3-1), Darius Days 12 and Jalen Cook 10. LSU finished 26-for-48 (54.2%) shooting and had a 46-33 rebound advantage.
In dropping their first game of the season, the Bulldogs (3-1) struggled to find the mark and shot just 28.8% (19 for 66). Louisiana Tech missed 24 of 29 3-point-shot attempts.
Off the bench, freshman Kenneth Lofton Jr. led Louisiana Tech with 17 points and 12 rebounds to record the second double-double of his brief career. The Bulldogs' starting five tallied a mere 20 points combined to shoot 7 for 38.
Days buried three 3s on consecutive possessions and the 9-3 run broke a 5-all tie that sent the Tigers on their way.
Smart hit a 3, Days a jumper and Thomas a pair of free throws for a 22-10 lead with 8:55 before halftime. The Tigers went on to a 43-24 intermission lead.
Prior to Sunday, the Bulldogs and Tigers had had two competitive battles in the last two years.
LSU beat the Bulldogs 74-67 in Baton Rouge in 2018 and 83-70 in the Hoops 4 Disaster Relief exhibition game in Ruston last year.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
