Staff Reports
Louisiana Tech saw its basketball regular seasons end on a high note Saturday with both the Bulldogs and the Lady Techsters picking up victories.
The win meant a lot of things for the Bulldogs (20-11, 9-9 CUSA). It was win No. 20, a milestone the program has now reached in 11 of the last 13 seasons. It was a bounce-back win following a disappointing loss to New Mexico State two days ago. And it was a win that solidified a No. 6 seed and first-round bye in the CUSA Tournament.
“I was excited about the way we played,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “We had energy, passion, played hard. We owed our fans that. They come out and support us day in and day out. I felt like we came out and gave them what they deserved.”
Along with the five first-half three-pointers, the Bulldogs used stifling defense, limiting the Miners to just 28.1 percent shooting in the stanza and just one three-pointer out of 13 attempts enroute to a 34-22 halftime lead.
LA Tech kept its foot on the gas to start the second half, opening the stanza on a 12-2 run that was anchored in large part by Sean Newman Jr. and Amaree Abram. One of the nation’s top assist leaders dished out two of his five dimes during the stretch and added a jumper in the paint while Abram drilled two triples to help make it a 46-26 lead with 15:16 to play in the home finale.
“When Sean starts distributing, the basket opens up wide for him and others and we take advantage,” said Hester. “Amaree Abram came out and knocked down eight straight points. We were getting stops on the defensive end and scoring on the offensive end. It got choppy there in the middle when had different lineups out there trying to get rest, but we got it to where we could end the game the right way.”
The Miners meanwhile could just get to the foul line for the most part, making 15 second-half free throws. While UTEP was getting free throws, LA Tech was getting threes to put the Miners away. Green hit four more from beyond the arc in route to a game-high 20 points.
The Bulldogs earned the No. 6 seed and will take on No. 3 seed Middle Tennessee on Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m. CT. It is the same scenario as last season when LA Tech swept MTSU during the regular season and then matched up with the Blue Raiders in the quarterfinals.
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The Lady Techsters closed the regular season with a 69-51 road win over UTEP on Saturday afternoon in the Don Haskins Center.
Paris Bradley scored 24 points for her fourth consecutive game of 20 or more to lead the Lady Techsters (15-14, 8-10). Jianna Morris had 15, and Averi Aaron finished with 11.
“I thought our guard group really set the tone for us today with their ball pressure and effort defensively,” said head coach Brooke Stoehr. “I’m very proud of the team’s response from Thursday night. Their focus and attention to detail on the scout was exactly what we needed. We’ve talked all year long about the things it takes to win on the road: defend, rebound and take care of the basketball.
“We did that for the most part today. We got the ball moving in the 2nd half and found shooters and delivered scoring passes. It’s great to go into the tournament with some momentum. Everyone is 0-0 at this point and we have to take it one game at a time.”
Bradley got her scoring going from the charity stripe, and Sydney Thomas connected on one of her three 3-pointers to give Tech the lead. UTEP would tie it up before Bradley hit a layup to give the Lady Techsters a 12-10 lead after one.
Tech led 24-22 at halftime and then 43-39 at the end of the third quarter. Louisiana Tech outscored UTEP 26-13 in the final stanza to close out the game. Aaron had seven points, Thomas hit two triples for six, and Bradley and Morris had five apiece during the quarter.
The Lady Techsters earned the No. 5 seed and will battle No. 4 seed New Mexico State on Thursday, March 13 at 11:30 a.m. CT. The two teams split the series during the regular season with each winning on their home court.
