LSU Defeats Tarleton State, 96-60, in Season Opener

Editor’s Note: The story has been edited on 11/6/25 after a mistake in the original game statistics was discovered.

BATON ROUGE – The LSU Tiger basketball team set a school record for field goal percentage  Wednesday night in a 96-60 win over Tarleton State to open the 2025-26 season at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

The game marked Coach Matt McMahon’s 200th career victory.

Congrats on 200 Coach! pic.twitter.com/tPoSFkXquD

— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) November 6, 2025

LSU finished the game at 71.7 percent (33-of-46), the best in the history of the program. It marked the third time in school history that the Tigers have shot 70 percent or better from the field to go along with a 71.4 percent effort versus Clemson on a neutral court on Dec. 20, 1969 and a 70.3 effort in the Maravich Center against Centenary on Jan. 15, 2003.

LSU also set a school mark for 2-point field goal percentage making 25-of-28 inside the arc, 89.3 percent, topping the mark of 87.2 percent (34-39) set last December against Mississippi Valley.

LSU would make 16-of-21 field goal attempts in the opening half  and for the game also made 8-of-18 three-point field goals (44.4 percent) and 22-of-29 from the free throw line (75.9 percent).

The Tigers had six players in double figures and 10 of the 13 players that played, scored.

Max Mackinnon, the transfer from Portland, led LSU with 19 points which included four treys, and five assists. UNLV transfer point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., had 16 points and eight assists, while Marquel Sutton scored 13, Mike Nwoko and Jalen Reed 11 each and Robert Miller III 10.

LSU had 21 assists on 33 made buckets (63 percent) with seven players registering assists.

The Tigers trailed for just 54 seconds of the game with LSU taking the lead for good at 6-5 on a Mackinnon three-pointer at the 18:02 mark. LSU would lead 47-31 at the half and added another 49 points to the score in the second 20 minutes.

Tarleton State was led by Kade Douglas off the bench, who hit four treys in scoring 19 points, while Freddy Hicks added 12 and Matyas Vrabel and AJ Dent Jr., each added 10 points.

The Texans shot 32.3 percent from the floor (20-of-62), including seven treys and 13-of-18 from the free throw line.

LSU out rebounded Tarleton State, 39-20. The Texans had 12 offensive rebounds, but just eight defensive boards. The eight defensive rebounds by Tarleton State is the lowest an LSU team has held an opponent since offensive and defensive rebounds became an official NCAA category in the 1986-87 season. Florida grabbed only nine defensive boards against LSU on Jan. 27, 1990.

LSU had half of its points in the paint and had 17 fast break/transition points for the night. LSU also had six blocks, led by the three of Mike Nwoko.

The Tigers are back in action on Monday night against the UNO Privateers at 7 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. UNO, which has another game prior to coming to Baton Rouge, took down TCU in Fort Worth in their season opener this past Monday.

Tickets for the game are available at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office or online at LSUTix.net.

LSU vs Tarleton State Men’s Basketball
November 5, 2025
Post-game Quotes
LSU Head Coach Quotes

LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon

Opening Statement…
“As for the game, it was a great way to start the season. As I’ve told y’all going in, I love our team and they’re a lot of fun to coach. For having so many guys, it’s impressive to see how connected they are here early in the season. I think you saw the unselfishness on the offensive end of the floor and the efficiency there. Defensively, I thought we were active. I’m disappointed in the nine offensive rebounds we gave in the first nine minutes of the game, but we got that cleaned up and were able to build our lead and get a good win here on opening night.”

On starting graduate student Pablo Tamba in tonight’s opener…
“He earned it. Hard work, he cares, he’s an everyday guy all about the team and is productive. He’s been a great addition to our program. He’s all about winning; you don’t have to run a lot of plays for him. He just wants to do whatever he can do to help the team. He’s versatile on the defensive side of the ball and I think his energy is contagious within the program.”

On the back court duo of junior DJ Thomas and senior Max Mackinnon…
“Skill level, high basketball IQ, and great unselfishness. They’re team-first guys and are great passers. I thought Max’s start to the game was huge for us, knocking down some of those three pointers to space the floor. DJ (Dedan Thomas Jr.) just orchestrates the offense. The one thing I hope everyone sees is that alongside his 16-8-5 stat line, his effort and toughness on the defensive side of the ball is going to be key for us. He plays with relentless effort out there. Any time your two guards are both 6-of-7 (shooting) from the floor and have 35 points and 13 assists, it’s a pretty good night.”

LSU Player Quotes

LSU Guard DJ Thomas
On their success defensively…
“We really got up into the ball. We need to work on finishing plays by getting the defensive rebound and not allowing so many offensive rebounds. We allowed 12 tonight. I feel like we did a lot better job in the second half with that, and we did a good job defensively.”

On finding chemistry with the new team…
“These guys have made it so easy on me. It’s like a breath of fresh air playing with them. Everyone knows how to make plays and is about winning. They can all do a lot of different things. They make it easy on me by hitting open shots, making plays on their own, and getting me open, too.”

LSU Guard Max Mackinnon
On the team’s performance in the first game of the season…
“I’ve been looking forward to it. We had a good preseason. We have a bunch of dudes from mid-majors, and we’re trying to prove ourselves. DJ Thomas is an elite point guard who can get to his spot, and it’s great to play with him.”

On his play tonight…
“I’m more than a shooter. I’m able to get downhill and play on two. Coming from Australia, we learn that at a young age. I’m not the fastest guy, but I have a good IQ, can get past a defender, and can do what I want.”