by Malcolm Butler
Daniel Batcho scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Louisiana Tech to a 105-67 win over Mississippi College Monday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Batcho hit 13-of-14 field goals, including his first career three-pointer, and was 11-of-12 at the free throw line to easily surpass his previous career-high of 28 points scored earlier this year at UT-Arlington.
The Bulldogs scored 68 points in the paint in the victory.
He just missed becoming the first Bulldog to score 40 points in a game since Karl Malone accomplished the feat in the mid-1980s.
Tech (4-0) raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first five minutes of the contest as Batcho scored eight points and the Bulldogs held Division II Mississippi College (3-1) scoreless.
However, the intensity waned for Tech over the remainder of the first half as the Choctaws closed the gap to 46-36 at the half.
“I felt like we came out locked in and focused,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “We dropped in intensity and gave them some confidence. Sometimes when you left people get going it is hard to stop them. We did not value stops. We had some guys trying to score the ball. We cannot be that team.”
Both teams came out in the second half and put on a shooting clinic in the first 10 minutes after intermission as Mississippi College closed the deficit to as close as 49-43 with 18:30 to play in the game. However, three-pointers by Amaree Abram and Devin Ree and a couple of buckets by Batcho ignited a 10-0 run as the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 59-43.
“We have always known (Batcho) has unbelievable hands. Now he is finishing in a variety of ways. He has put the work in. He has lived in the gym. I tell him all the time to not change until somebody stops you from being you. I am proud of him. We challenge him every day and I think there is still more in him.”
Mississippi College once again closed the gap to single digits at 65-56 with 13:26 remaining but the Bulldog finished the game with a flurry. Leading 78-65 with eight minutes to play, the Bulldogs used game-ending 27-2 run to push the margin of victory to 38 points.
Tech shot a season-high 68 percent (40-59) from the field, including 21-of-29 in a second half that saw the Bulldogs score 59 points. Mississippi College shot 50 percent (25-50) for the game.
Sean Newman recorded his third straight double digit assist effort with a career-high 14 assists, one shy of tying the Bulldog single game record of 15 held by Speedy Smith.
Kaden Cooper added 15 points and eight rebounds while Abram scored 13 points.
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