Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech got back into the win column on Sunday by defeating rival UL-Lafayette, 69-58, inside the Cajundome.
Turnovers were an issue again for LA Tech (8-2), especially in the first half when the Bulldogs coughed it up 10 times leading to a tie ball game at halftime. However, fewer turnovers and better defense in the second half helped the ‘Dogs hand ULL (1-8) its seventh straight loss.
Four of those turnovers by the Bulldogs came on the first five possessions. However, six straight points by Daniel Batcho and a stepback three-pointer by Amaree Abram resulted in a 7-0 run and an early 9-6 lead.
ULL’s Kentrell Garnett got hot right after that, draining four straight triples to put the Cajuns back in front. Meanwhile, the home team would score 16 points off turnovers in the first stanza, including back-to-back buckets to force a timeout by head coach Talvin Hester as the ‘Dogs found themselves down five with five minutes left before halftime.
Bench scoring got the visitors back into it, ending the half with a second-chance layup by Will Allen and a three-pointer from the top of the arc by AJ Bates to help make it a 34-34 tie going into the locker room.
“I thought AJ was unbelievable,” said Hester. “Another guy stepped up. Devin Ree could not go in the second half so we were shorthanded with seven guys. AJ stepped and played big. Not only did he come out and solidify us, he did not turn the ball over. You have to be proud of your freshman playing like that.
“Will Allen was great as well. He was rebounding the ball like crazy. It was a total team effort. We had some really good spurts in the second half where we really guarded.”
LA Tech did not allow a made field goal in that five-minute stretch after the Hester timeout. That stout defense would carry over to the second half as the Bulldogs allowed the Ragin’ Cajuns to score just six points through 10 minutes of play. The result was a 46-40 advantage for the ‘Dogs.
The Cajuns hung around, down just two possessions with 3:50 to play. But, Amaree Abram made a teardrop floater in the lane and later drilled a late shot clock three-pointer for the dagger.
LA Tech was 14-of-26 from the field in the second half while ULL managed to make just nine of its 25 attempts. The Bulldogs would shoot 52.9 percent for the game with four players in double figures, led by Batcho who had a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards. Abram added 12, Kaden Cooper tallied 11 and eight boards, and Sean Newman Jr. recorded 10 points and seven assists.
The team owned the paint, scoring 42 points in the area while also outrebounding the Ragin’ Cajuns, 36-22.
“I was really pleased with the rebounding,” said Hester. “Especially without Devin Ree, we were even smaller. We had our guys pulling down two or three, helping us out. There was an emphasis on our guys rebounding. I challenged the team at halftime to play some defense.”
Garnett for UL-Lafayette was the only Cajun to score in double figures with 23 points.
