Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Isaiah Crawford who had a game-high 25 points, as Louisiana Tech won its fifth straight by defeating New Mexico State, 73-53, on Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
A subpar shooting performance in the first half led to LA Tech (15-6, 5-1 CUSA) holding just a 33-28 advantage at halftime. The Bulldogs exploded though in the second half behind their dynamic frontcourt of Crawford and Daniel Batcho who combined for 26 of the team’s 40 points.
“We just could not hit shots [in the first half],” said head coach Talvin Hester. “We got great shots but could not hit them. We were guarding well, playing good defense, but what I talked to the team about at halftime were the possessions we left on the table. We talked about having a good first few possessions and really opened up the game. Then some of those shots in the second half went in.”
NM State (9-12, 3-3 CUSA) did not shoot much better in the first stanza but did make four of its last five field goals to slice into a deficit that was as large as 10 points through the first 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 13-2 run, getting the first six points from Crawford. Then the forward found his fellow big man Batcho for an alley-oop dunk. The run continued with Tahlik Chavez burying a three-pointer from the wing followed by another alley-oop slam by Batcho to make it 46-30 with 14:54 to go.
Meanwhile, the Aggies continued to be held in check on the offensive end by another stellar effort on defense by LA Tech. NM State managed just eight points through the first 9-plus minutes of the second half.
The Bulldogs continued capped off their largest lead of the game after five straight points from Jordan Crawford including a wing three and a driving layup, giving the home team a 58-36 advantage with 10:29 left.
“I think his confidence is in his trust he has for other teammates around him,” said Hester on Crawford. “When he is stagnate, he has all the coaches on the bench telling him to be aggressive. I don’t want him to dial it back. I want him to stay on the attack.”
That largest lead was matched late in the game when Devin Ree banked in a three-pointer from the top of the arc, his third triple of the game.
The duo off the bench combined for 21 points (11 for Ree and 10 for Crawford) while the frontcourt went for a combined 37 points and 23 rebounds. Isaiah Crawford added eight rebounds to his scoring effort while Batcho tallied his ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 15 boards.
LA Tech shot 37.9 percent from the field, knocking down seven three-pointers and 22 free throws. NM State was limited to 32.8 percent from the field with Jordan Rawls the lone Aggie in double figures with 10 points.
