by Malcolm Butler
Louisiana Tech hit three free throws in the final 2.4 seconds to propel the Bulldogs to a 65-62 win over defending Atlantic 10 champion Richmond Tuesday at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.
With the game tied at 62-62, a missed jumper in the lane by Amaree Abram led to a whistle and hurt feelings.
A loose ball foul was called against the Spiders, sending Daniel Batcho to the free throw line where the preseason Conference USA Player of the Year hit 1-of-2 to give the Bulldogs the lead.
Following a timeout by the Spiders, Richmond head coach Chris Mooney was hit with a technical foul, sending Abram to the line where he made both free throws.
A last second desperation heave by Richmond was well off the mark as the Bulldogs won for a sixth straight time to open the season.
“At the end of the day, everybody that is here is tired,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “Everybody is fatigued. But at the end of the day, it is about who wants to be here the most. We are trying to do something special.
“Richmond is one of the best coached teams. We just had to come out and play. We started the first and second half good, which gave us confidence. The team was resilient and kept fighting.”
For the second day in a row, the Bulldogs jumped out to a good start, building a 24-16 lead with seven minutes to play in the first half. However, just like in Monday’s overtime win over SIU, Tech went cold heading into the locker room.
Richmond (3-4) outscored Tech 19-3 over the final seven minutes of the first half to take a 35-27 advantage into halftime.
“They never stop moving,” said Hester in regards to the Spiders offense. “I told our team (at halftime) we had to be locked in and stay in a stance. They pass the ball well, cut immediately, keep the big moving. We just did not want to get back cut.”
Tech came out for the second half and responded. The Bulldogs tied the score at 45-45 on a dunk by Will Allen with 12:44 to play in the game and then took their first lead since the first half on free throws by Kaden Cooper less than a minute later.
“Will Allen came in and was unbelievable defensively for us,” said Hester. “He was active and a huge reason for our win.”
The Bulldogs continued their momentum and a dunk by Daniel Batcho and layup by Cooper gave Tech its biggest lead of the contest at 60-51 with 6:58 to play in the game.
However, that would be the last field goal Tech would make as the Spiders climbed back into the game. Delonnie Hunt, who led all scorers with 26 points, tied the game at 62-62 with 1:32 to play setting up the dramatic ending.
Cooper led Tech with 16 points and nine rebounds while Batcho added 13 points. Abram and Newman scored 12 points each, while Devin Ree scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds.
“Devin was active on the glass with nine rebounds,” said Hester. “He hit timely shots. If he can play like that consistently, he can really help this team. It gives us an added dimension with his length. We still need to be a better offensive rebounding team and ironically that is what won us the game at the end.”
Tech will face Eastern Kentucky at 11 a.m. today. The game can be heard on 107.5 FM with the pregame show starting at 10:30 a.m.
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