Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs play their final non-conference game of the regular season tonight when they host Dallas Christian.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center and the game can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on 107.5 FM with Malcolm Butler and Jack Thigpen providing a call of the action.
LA Tech (9-5) was close yet again to pulling off a road upset but ended up falling to Grand Canyon by a final score of 73-70. The Bulldogs shot a season-high 56.0 percent from the field, holding a 68-64 lead with three minutes to go. The Lopes though closed the game out on a 9-2 run to win by three.
The Bulldogs have suffered three straight losses in road games to Saint Louis, Seattle U, and Grand Canyon by a combined 10 points. All five of their losses have been by single digits.
LA Tech has played one of its hardest non-conference schedules in recent history. Their non-conference NET strength of schedule ranks 63rd in the country, having faced four opponents that rank in the top 50 in the NET.
Daniel Batcho led the Bulldogs in scoring for a third straight game, scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting versus the Lopes. Over the last three games, the forward is averaging 19.3 points per game while shooting 63 percent from the field. He is also averaging 11.7 rebounds per game during this span. He is currently one of 13 players in the country averaging a double-double with 14.3 points and 10.4 boards per game.
Tahlik Chavez also tallied 16 points at Grand Canyon, this after being held to nine total points in the previous two contests at Saint Louis and Seattle U. The shooting guard knocked down four three-pointers in the game, the fourth time this season making at least four threes in a single contest. He has made a team-high 35 triples while shooting 38.9 percent from deep.
Dallas Christian College (3-10) is a private Christian college in Farmer’s Branch, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas. The Crusaders compete in the Division II Southwest region of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), an association of Christian university, colleges, and bible colleges.
The Crusaders had won two at home against Kansas Christian and Southwestern Adventist prior to losing, 77-63, this past Saturday at Arkansas-Fort Smith. DCC will travel to take on Texas A&M-Texarkana on Tuesday night prior to facing LA Tech on Wednesday in what will be an exhibition game for Dallas Christian.
The Crusaders are led by Yuot Gai who is averaging 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The fifth-year senior is shooting 53 percent from the field and 49 percent from three-point range. He has two double-doubles on the season, including a 33-point, 15-rebound effort versus Kansas Christian.
This will be the first ever meeting on the hardwood between LA Tech and Dallas Christian. DCC is the fourth opponent so far this season that the Bulldogs are facing for the first time in program history.
