Watford paces LSU blowout win over La. Tech 86-55
Shareef O'Neal comes up big on the defensive end, completely shutting down a Louisiana Tech layup attempt with two hands. (0:19)
BATON ROUGE, La. -- — 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.
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2020-2021 Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | 9-2 | - | 16-5 |
| Old Dominion | 10-4 | 0.5 | 14-6 |
| Marshall | 7-5 | 2.5 | 13-6 |
| Florida Atlantic | 5-5 | 3.5 | 10-9 |
| Charlotte | 5-9 | 5.5 | 9-13 |
| Middle Tennessee | 3-11 | 7.5 | 5-15 |
| Florida International | 2-14 | 9.5 | 9-16 |
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
| Louisiana Tech | 12-4 | - | 19-6 |
| North Texas | 9-3 | 1 | 13-7 |
| UAB | 11-5 | 1 | 19-6 |
| UTSA | 9-7 | 3 | 13-10 |
| UTEP | 8-8 | 4 | 12-10 |
| Rice | 6-10 | 6 | 12-12 |
| Southern Miss | 4-13 | 8.5 | 8-16 |
2020-2021 Southeastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 14-2 | - | 19-6 |
| Arkansas | 11-4 | 2.5 | 19-5 |
| Florida | 9-5 | 4 | 13-6 |
| LSU | 9-6 | 4.5 | 14-8 |
| Tennessee | 9-7 | 5 | 16-7 |
| Ole Miss | 8-8 | 6 | 13-10 |
| Missouri | 7-7 | 6 | 14-7 |
| Kentucky | 7-8 | 6.5 | 8-14 |
| Mississippi State | 7-9 | 7 | 13-12 |
| Georgia | 7-10 | 7.5 | 14-10 |
| Auburn | 6-10 | 8 | 12-13 |
| South Carolina | 4-10 | 9 | 6-12 |
| Texas A&M | 2-6 | 8 | 8-7 |
| Vanderbilt | 3-11 | 10 | 7-13 |