Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
With two starters out due to injury, other players had to step up.
That they did as four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Tahlik Chavez who had a season-high 20 points, as Louisiana Tech remained unbeaten at home with a 68-55 victory over Nicholls on Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
“It is coming (for Tahlik), said head coach Talvin Hester. “He was in the gym this morning shooting. I think it bothers him more than it bothers us. It was just a matter of time before the ball started falling for him. I thought we got him some good looks. I promise you he is going to have a game where he makes more [than five three-pointers]. It is the nature of who he is.”
From the outside, it was Chavez and Devin Ree combining for all eight of LA Tech’s (6-2) three-pointers – five for Chavez and three for Ree. Inside, it was the dynamic frontcourt tandem of Daniel Batcho and Isaiah Crawford. Batch powered his way to his third double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds while Crawford had 11 points and a season-high seven assists.
“Proud of Devin,” said Hester. “He has been working really hard. He is the youngest guy on our team and I know some days he gets frustrated. I have kept telling him he is getting better. He is understanding the system. He has gotten better offensively and defensively he is causing problems with his length.”
The star of the game was arguably the Bulldog defense, which held a Nicholls (3-6) team with plenty of offensive firepower to its second fewest points of the season and just 34.0 percent shooting from the field.
“We were going to lean on our defense this game,” said Hester. “When one of your best offensive players is out in Sean Newman Jr., our quarterback, we just wanted to be solid, get the ball inside to Isaiah and Batcho, play inside-out basketball and play good defense. I was proud of the way we started the game. Really proud of our guys.”
Chavez gave the ‘Dogs their first separation of the contest, drilling back-to-back triples to give LA Tech a 14-6 advantage. After the Colonels cut their deficit down to four, he hit another that was part of a quick 7-0 run that forced a timeout by the opposition with seven minutes to go in the first half.
Nicholls made its biggest run late in the stanza, an 8-0 spurt that made it a one-possession game at 30-27. However, an offensive board and putback by Batcho and a second-chance three-pointer by Ree gave LA Tech a 35-27 edge going into halftime.
The Colonels continued to hang around, making it a 48-42 ball game after Jalen White (had a team-high 16 points) sank one of his four triples with 11:34 still remaining in the game.
LA Tech countered though, going on a 9-0 run that was capped off by yet another triple by Chavez. It was another long ball by Ree, who finished with 15 points, that was ultimately the dagger with 1:44 left, giving the ‘Dogs their largest lead of the contest at 65-49.
The Bulldogs owned the paint with a big advantage in rebounds (47-30), paint points (30-18), and second-chance points (21-6). Defensively, they allowed just 17 made field goals and held the Colonel’s primary scorer, Jamal West Jr., to just seven points.
LA Tech will travel to Nacogdoches, Texas to take on Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday, Dec. 5 inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
