Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
After a tough road trip to open Conference USA play, Louisiana Tech returns home to face FIU on tonight inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on 107.5 FM with Malcolm Butler and Jack Thigpen providing a call of the action.
LA Tech (11-4, 0-2) had its worst outing of the season this past Saturday, falling 78-48 to New Mexico State in Las Cruces. It was the first 30-point defeat since 2020 and the first time the Bulldogs have lost by more than 10 points in 46 games (since March of 2023).
LA Tech set several season lows including total points, field goal percentage (31.5), and three-point field goal percentage (21.2) while also allowing NM State to shoot 55.6 percent from the field, which was only the second time this season an opponent has eclipsed 44 percent shooting.
The Bulldogs are off to an 0-2 start in CUSA play for just the second time ever (other time was 2018). LA Tech will try to get back to playing like it did in non-conference (pre-Christmas) when they averaged 80.5 points while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and then holding teams to 67.0 points and 39.8 percent shooting. In the conference losses to UTEP and New Mexico State, the ‘Dogs averaged 54.0 points and shot 35.6 percent from the field while the Miners and Aggies combined to shoot 45.8 percent and score an average of 74.0 points.
Despite LA Tech’s offensive woes on the road trip, Sean Newman Jr. still managed to dish out 13 combined assists against the Miners and Aggies to give him 141 for the season, second most in the country, and 500 total for his collegiate career. His average of 9.4 assists per game also ranks second in the nation.
After dropping six of its first eight games, FIU (7-8, 1-1) has started to find the win column more often having won five of its last seven. Following a 73-69 home loss to Middle Tennessee in the CUSA opener, a game in which the Panthers led for almost 30 minutes, FIU secured a resounding 85-66 victory over WKU. The game was practically over at halftime when the Panthers held a 23-point lead.
Part of FIU’s turnaround has been its improved offense. Over the last four games, the Panthers are shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range.
Jeremy Ballard’s defense is still causing havoc. The Panthers rank top 40 in the country in both steals per game (9.3) and turnovers forced per game (15.73). In the win over the Hilltoppers, FIU set new season highs in both turnovers forced (25) and steals (16) which they converted into 24 points.
LA Tech leads the all-time series versus FIU, 13-8, having won four straight. The Bulldogs and Panthers were league foes in the Sun Belt Conference for three seasons (1998-01) before becoming league opponents again in 2013 when the two programs joined Conference USA.
Since becoming CUSA foes, LA Tech holds a 10-5 advantage including a perfect 7-0 mark versus the Panthers in Ruston. Aside from the 40-point win by the Bulldogs in Miami last season, this matchup has often been a close one as 10 of the last 11 meetings have been decided by seven points or less.
