LSU’s second-half performance was unlike the composed 20 minutes it put together in the first half against Boston College.
After leading by as many as 14 points in the first half, LSU found itself trailing by four points with 1:09 left in the game.
But thanks to Dedan Thomas’ heroics, LSU survived an upset against Boston College, winning 78-69 in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The contest was the first-ever meeting between the programs.
This was the first true road game of the season for LSU (8-0) after it won its last two games in the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida on a neutral site.
Thomas made his first field goal of the second half with 52 seconds left in the game to cut LSU’s deficit to two points. After LSU stopped Boston College (4-5), Thomas went coast-to-coast for a clutch layup to tie the game at 61-61 and force overtime.
LSU’s first four points of the extra five-minute period came from Thomas. The Tigers took a 67-61 lead after a jump hook by Mike Nwoko with 3:20 left.
The team remained in control after Thomas set up Max Mackinnon for an open 3-pointer to take a 70-63 lead with 1:27 left. The Tigers made all three of their field goals in overtime and made 10 of 10 free throws.
“We just went on the road, and in the second half of a game shot 9 of 34 from the floor, 26%, 1 of 11 from 3, 9%, and won the game,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said on the LSU sports radio network. “Amazing. I thought our guys showed incredible toughness.”
Thomas had a season-high 23 points and seven assists, making 8 of 21 shots. Marquel Sutton had 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Nwoko’s presence was felt on the first possession when he finished an alley-oop dunk off a pass from the top of the key by Pablo Tamaba. Nwoko scored the first six points for LSU and finished with 12.
The Tigers grabbed three offensive rebounds and forced four turnovers within the first eight minutes of the game. They were 8 of 16 from the field while Boston College was 3 of 8.
From left, LSU guard Jalen Reece (2), LSU forward Mike Nwoko (1) and LSU guard Rashad King (4) listen as LSU assistant coach Vince Walden provides instruction on the bench during a game against Omaha, Friday, November 21, 2025, at the LSU PMAC in Baton Rouge, La.
But Nwoko picked up two early fouls on back-to-back offensive possessions. He had a loose-ball foul followed by an illegal screen at the 10:48 mark of the first half, limiting him to six minutes before halftime.
After he left the game, Boston College went on a 6-0 run to cut its deficit to 16-13 with 9:52 remaining in the first half.
This was LSU’s second game without Jalen Reed and first since it ruled him out for the remainder of the season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury against Drake on Friday. His absence was felt early when McMahon briefly used a lineup with the 6-foot-7 Tamba at center and 6-9 Sutton at power forward with 8:23 left in the first half. McMahon was complimentary of Tamba, who had nine rebounds.
Sutton gave LSU its 18th point on a fastbreak layup to break a dry spell that included eight straight missed shots.
Thomas amped up his offensive aggression as the offense struggled without Nwoko. After Sutton’s score, Thomas drove by a defender on the right baseline and finished an and-one layup.
His prettiest finish came off a behind-the-back move that led him downhill on the left side of the basket, where he made a layup with his non-dominant right hand. That gave LSU a 35-23 lead with 1:06 left in the first half.
Thomas had 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and three assists at halftime as LSU led 37-26.
Boston College played impressively throughout the second half. The Eagles scored eight unanswered points to trim their deficit to 45-41 at the 14:23 mark. At that point, they were 6 of 9 from the field in that span while the Tigers were 3 of 9.
The home team’s backup point guard, Luka Toews, led the comeback as he made a few pull-up jumpers and organized the offense. Toews had 12 of his 14 points after halftime.
Sutton’s hustle and free-throw shooting were essential for LSU in the win.
“Marquel, you saw his versatility,” McMahon said. “We play him out on the wing when we need to, we can downshift him to the forward spot. I thought he was really good there. So, you know, so proud of our guys. Great response by them. Now we got to build on it.”
Boston College tied the game at 51-51 with 8:31 remaining, and LSU trailed for the first time with 6:23 left in the game. Jayden Hastings scored a jump hook in the middle of the paint over Sutton to give Boston College a 53-31 lead.
LSU’s next game will be against its first ranked opponent, No. 19 Texas Tech (6-2). The Tigers will play the Red Raiders at 2 p.m. Sunday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, in the Coast 2 Coast Challenge.
