Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech’s two leading scorers, Isaiah Crawford and Jaylin Henderson, were held to a combined seven points.
No matter as the Bulldogs showcased their depth with four players scoring in double figures, led by Daniel Batcho who had 17 points in gutting out a hard-fought 71-62 win over McNeese State on Wednesday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
“I am proud of our guys,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “I thought it was a tough game. I really contribute some of the scheduling to it. Coach (Tim) McGraw and the others convinced me we should challenge ourselves early.
“To be able to play a tough one in the opener at Colorado State, it helped prepare us for today and I am glad we did that. We have made practice hard so that these moments can be manageable for us. I am proud of everyone on this team. We were locked in.”
Batcho made his presence felt on the defensive end as well, pulling down eight rebounds while swatting away four basketballs. Stepping up offensively was help from the perimeter as Tahlik Chavez (14), Tyler Henry (14), and Sean Newman Jr. (11) all contributed.
Much of the points from the backcourt came from beyond the arc as LA Tech (4-1) buried 10 three-pointers, a day after it shot just 12 total threes against Southern Utah.
“This shows to our growth,” said Hester. “We have gotten better. Our goal is to keep getting better every day. We want to grow and learn every day, push ourselves in practice. If we can be great in practice, these moments will come. Practice is where you prepare for these moments.”
The Bulldogs (4-1) host Dillard Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.
