By LSU basketball and Will Wade jumped into the deep end traveling to Spokane to face No. 14 Gonzaga in their first road game on Saturday, Nov. 14.
In front of a sold-out crowd at Numerica Veterans Arena, the Tigers gave Gonzaga all it could handle and pulled off an 81-80 upset victory over the Bulldogs. It was LSU's first win over a ranked opponent since 2024 and the first big win in the second Wade era.
The Tigers battled back and forth with the Bulldogs in a dogfight that would go down to the final few seconds. In the end it was LSU guard Donovan Dent who called game, draining a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 1-point lead with one second left on the clock.
Dent led all scorers with 23 points while shooting 50% from deep, including the game-winning 3-pointer. Guards Skyy Clark (14 points) and Abdi Bashir Jr. (15) and center Michael Ruzic (12) all finished in double figures.
Despite shooting 43% from the field compared to the Bulldogs’ 45%, LSU made the clutch plays late in the game after trailing for most of the second half. The rebounding battle was even with both squads snagging 42 boards.
The Tigers' bench weapons played a key role in the upset, accounting for 34 points. On the flip side, Gonzaga couldn’t get much from its bench with just 17 points.
With the victory, Wade and the Tigers moved to 4-0 on the season.
LSU will return to Pete Maravich Assembly Center with momentum entering a nonconference game against Louisiana-Monroe. The Tigers and Warhawks will tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU basketball upsets No. 14 Gonzaga on Donovan Dent 3-pointer
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lsu-basketball-upsets-no-14-231050658.html
