Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
A trio of Louisiana Tech student-athletes earned an assortment of weekly Conference USA honors.
Women’s Basketball
Jianna Morris was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, announced by the league on Monday.
The Lady Techsters’ point guard was instrumental during Tech’s 2-0 week with 17 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
Against UTEP, Morris scored eight of her 10 points in the second half, including a buzzer-beater from 40 feet out at the end of the third quarter that pushed momentum back in LA Tech’s favor. She added two rebounds and two assists with zero turnovers in 34 minutes of action.
The Sherwood, Ark., native contributed seven points, two rebounds, and three assists in the Lady Techsters’ overtime win against New Mexico State on Saturday. She would again control the pace of play with just one turnover in 39 minutes.
Morris and the Lady Techsters host WKU for the final game in the Thomas Assembly Center on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
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Men’s Basketball
After helping lead Louisiana Tech to a pair of conference road wins, Isaiah Crawford was voted as the Conference USA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday.
Crawford nearly averaged a double-double in the process with 19.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game while helping keep the Bulldogs in first place in the CUSA standings.
Against UTEP in El Paso, the forward tallied 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. He followed that performance up two days later at New Mexico State by posting a game-high 20 points and 10 boards for this third double-double of the season while playing the full 90 minutes.
He also blocked three shots versus the Aggies, giving him 50 for the season which is the second most in CUSA behind teammate Daniel Batcho.
The Forth Worth, Texas native anchored the top defense in the league again by helping hold both opponents to under 60 points and under 40 percent shooting from the field.
This marks the first ever CUSA Player of the Week honor for Crawford despite being a two-time All-CUSA selection with 111 games played at LA Tech. He is the second Bulldog to receive the award this season (other being Daniel Batcho).
Crawford and the Bulldogs wrap up a three-game road swing on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at WKU. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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Softball
Louisiana Tech Pitcher Allie Floyd has been named the Blenders Eyeware Conference USA Pitcher of the Week, the league announced on Monday.
Floyd was nearly unhittable during her two appearances last week. The sophomore right-hander pitched 14 shutout innings, struck out ten, and allowed five hits and no walks while picking up a pair of victories in the circle and limiting opponents to a .109 on-base percentage.
Floyd threw her first career complete-game shutout during a 2-0 win over Missouri State on Feb. 23. She struck out seven while surrendering just three hits and no walks. After the first two Missouri State batters of the ballgame reached base, Floyd breezed through the visiting lineup by retiring 21 of her final 23 batters faced. Her seven strikeouts during the complete-game shutout were the second most in her career and just one shy of her career-high of eight, which she set earlier this season.
One day later, she came out of the bullpen to pick up her fourth win of the season by throwing seven shutout innings in relief during the Bulldogs’ 3-2 win over Missouri State in 11 innings. Floyd struck out three Missouri State batters and issued just two hits and a walk during the relief victory.
Floyd is 4-0 this season with a 0.88 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to a .170 batting average in 32 innings pitched. The East Bernard, Texas product has also earned two saves.
Floyd’s selection marks the 28th time Louisiana Tech has had a representative earn Conference Pitcher of the Week honors and the 14th as a member of Conference USA.
Louisiana Tech has now had a representative receive the honor in back-to-back weeks, as Brook Melnychuk was named CUSA Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 19. It is the first time since 2018 that the Bulldogs have earned CUSA Pitcher of the Week honors in consecutive weeks when Preslee Gallaway accomplished the feat on April 16 and April 23 of that year.
The Bulldogs will look to improve to 10-2 when they travel to Central Arkansas on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. midweek matchup. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
