Donovan Dent hit a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to give LSU an 81-80 victory over No. 14 Gonzaga on Saturday afternoon in Spokane, Wash.
Dent’s game-winning shot capped a game-ending 10-1 run as the Tigers (4-0) overcame a 13-point second-half deficit. The UCLA transfer finished with a game-high 23 points and 10 assists.
Abdi Bashir scored all of his 15 points on 3-pointers — including 4-for-4 shooting in the second half – while Skyy Clark had 14 points and Michael Ruzic added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers, who won their first three games by 43, 41, and 40 points.
Braden Huff had 18 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double. Davis Fogle had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Isiah Harwell scored 14 points for Gonzaga (2-1), which took a 68-55 lead with 8:11 to go.
Fogle missed the second of two throws with 12.7 seconds left to keep Gonzaga’s lead at 80-78. His desperation 40-footer at the buzzer was off.
Fogle’s 3-pointer capped a 19-5 run to give the Zags a 66-54 edge with just under 10 minutes remaining. Huff’s jumper moments later pushed the lead to 68-55.
Bashir’s third 3-pointer of the second half brought LSU within 75-68 with 4:23 to go. Dent hit a layup and Clark made two free throws to cap a 7-0 run to close it to 79-78.
After a Gonzaga turnover, Dent missed a challenged layup before Fogle was fouled.
Gonzaga trailed by 39-37 at half but shot 53.3% in the second half to get into position to win.
The game was played at Veterans Arena, the Zags’ off-campus home.
Chauncey Wiggins scored three points in 12 minutes in his Gonzaga debut. He was granted a preliminary injunction by a Spokane County Superior Court judge Thursday for a fifth year of eligibility.
His 3-pointer, the Zags’ first, gave them a 43-41 lead with 17:35 left.
Fogle was taken to the dressing room with 15:59 left after suffering an apparent leg injury and returned four minutes later.
Dent had 16 points in the first half – capped by his banked stepback 3-pointer that put the Tigers up 39-37 at half. That marked their first lead since 11-10.
Huff had eight points and eight rebounds in the first half, and Fogle and reserve Izan Almansa had six points apiece as the Zags scored 10 points off nine LSU turnovers.
LSU transfer guard RJ Luis Jr. was granted a preliminary injunction to join the team Friday but did not play.
