Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
The Louisiana Tech Men’s Basketball team looks to remain unbeaten at home when the Bulldogs host the Colonels of Nicholls today at 2 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
The contest can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on 107.5 FM with Malcolm Butler and Jack Thigpen providing a call of the game.
LA Tech (5-2) had its five-game winning streak snapped this past Wednesday, falling at New Mexico by a final score of 74-65. The Bulldogs struggled offensively, suffering a season low in total points and in field goal percentage at just 35.6 percent.
Isaiah Crawford had a game-high 24 points in the loss, his third 20+ scoring performance of the season. He is averaging a team-best 15.6 points per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. His other 24-point effort came at ULM in the third game of the season.
Despite the loss, the Bulldog defend held UNM, which came into the contest with a top-20 scoring offense, to its second fewest points of the season. LA Tech currently ranks 32nd in the country in field goal percentage defense (38.4), having held five of its seven opponents to under 40 percent shooting.
Nicholls (3-5) wraps up its three-game road swing on Saturday when they face LA Tech in Ruston. The Colonels are coming off back-to-back road losses against nationally ranked opponents, falling 74-61 at No. 25 Mississippi State and 108-70 at No. 9 Baylor this past Tuesday.
Their most impressive win came on the road back on Nov. 10, upsetting LSU in Baton Rouge by a score of 68-66. They led by as much as 24 points, but needed a game-winning three-pointer with one second left to down the Tigers.
Jamal West Jr., who hit the three-pointer to beat LSU, is averaging a team-best 17.9 points per game. The transfer from Clarendon College has scored in double figures in seven of their eight games, including a season-high 31 in a triple over victory at South Alabama.
LA Tech leads the all-time series against Nicholls State, 16-2. The Bulldogs have won four straight over the Colonels, including a 79-54 victory in their last meeting back on Dec. 18, 2014 in Ruston.
