LSU leads from start, dominates DePaul for Emerald Coast Classic title

Field Level Media|published: Sat 29th November, 21:42 2025

LSU Tigers Head Coach Matt McMahon works the sideline against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during their first round game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

Pablo Tamba had 14 points and seven rebounds on Saturday, leading LSU to a convincing 96-63 victory over DePaul in the Emerald Coast Classic final in Niceville, Fla.

Mike Nwoko added 13 points and six rebounds, and freshman Jalen Reece chipped in 13 points and six assists for the Tigers (7-0), who led by 28 points at halftime. Max Mackinnon scored 13 points in the game, followed by Dedan Thomas Jr.'s 12 and Robert Miller III's 12. Reserve Rashad King had 11 in the win.

Kruz McClure led the Blue Demons (5-3) with a game-high 22 points off the bench, followed by CJ Gunn and RJ Smith with nine points apiece.

After leading 50-22 at halftime, LSU went ahead 57-24 with 17:34 left on Tamba and Nwoko's consecutive layups.

DePaul scored back-to-back baskets for the first time without LSU scoring as McClure's layup and Kaleb Banks' 3-pointer pulled the Blue Demons within 30 with 12:37 remaining.

Reece's consecutive layups gave LSU a 73-40 edge at the 8:30 mark.

Nwoko's dunk and Marquel Sutton's layup with 2:17 left gave the Tigers a 91-58 lead, punctuating a dominant win in which they never trailed.

Thomas' layup gave LSU an early 6-0 lead, before Tamba's free throws extended the Tigers lead to 12-4 with 15:49 left in the first half.

Mackinnon drilled the Tigers' first triple, extending the margin to 22-10.

After Theo Pierre-Justin missed two free throws for DePaul, Miller's dunk and King's 3-pointer extended the lead to 17.

LSU grabbed its first 20-point lead on Thomas' 3-pointer and Miller's free throws with 7:02 minutes remaining in the opening half.

Reece's three-point play pushed the commanding lead to 41-18 with 4:29 left.

Gunn's layup with 1:01 remaining snapped a 4:18 drought without a made field goal for DePaul, cutting the Blue Demons' deficit to 26.

Mackinnon made two free throws with 49 seconds left, giving LSU a 50-22 halftime lead. Thomas' 12 first-half points led all scorers, while the Tigers shot 68% (17-for-25) in the first half. LSU outrebounded DePaul 21-9 across the opening 20 minutes.

--Field Level Media