LA Tech 93, Lyon College 35
Louisiana Tech put on a show in its first home game of the season, rolling past Lyon College, 93-35, on Sunday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
LA Tech (1-1) shot a blistering 56.9 percent from the field with four Bulldogs scoring in double figures. And after getting outrebounded by 19 in its season opener, the team flipped the script in that category with a +27-rebounding margin (52-25).
Meanwhile, the defense held Lyon College (1-1) to 25.0 percent shooting while forcing 21 turnovers, turning those in 29 points, and recording 15 steals in a wire-to-wire victory.
The Scots hung around in the first half, getting a fastbreak jumper from Kenneth Brown to cut their deficit to 32-20 with 3:29 to play in the stanza.
It was an absolute rout by the Bulldogs after that.
LA Tech closed the first period on a 16-2 spurt that was highlighted by three triples from Avery Thomas II and an alley-oop slam by Kaden Cooper. Capping it off was Cooper pushing the ball up the floor and connecting on a long jumper to beat the game clock, giving LA Tech a 48-22 halftime advantage.
The dominance continued in the second half as the home team opened the frame on a 25-0 run, getting scoring from five different Bulldogs (Scots did not score until the 9:38 mark). A key spark was Jaylen Fenner who got the period started with a four-point play. The true freshman got the start in just his second game as a Bulldog and tallied 15 points to go along with four steals.
Thomas II had 16 of his game-high 18 points in the first half. Thomas II and Fenner combined to go 12-of-16 from the field and 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. Cooper finished with a smooth 16 points while Scooter Williams, also making his first career start as a Bulldog, added 10 points.
It was gang rebounding for LA Tech as six different players had at least five boards, led by Will Allen and Kylan Howze who each had nine. Doing the passing was AJ Bates who tallied seven assists.
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Grambling 73, Howard 70
Grambling State men’s basketball battled back from a halftime deficit to earn a hard-fought 73–70 road victory over Howard University on Saturday evening at Burr Gymnasium.
The Tigers (2–1) outscored the Bison 41–37 in the second half behind a scorching 79% shooting performance after intermission, improving to 2–1 on the young season.
Jamil Muttilib led the charge off the bench with a game-high 21 points, knocking down 5-of-7 three-pointers and providing a major spark in the second half. Jimel Lane added 18 points, including the game-sealing free throws with 19 seconds remaining. Derrius Ward chipped in 12 points and four assists, while Antonio Munoz contributed 11 points and several key baskets in the paint.
Roderick Coffee III anchored Grambling’s floor game with eight rebounds and eight assists, while also hitting a pair of clutch threes.
After trailing 33–32 at halftime, the Tigers opened the second half with back-to-back baskets from Muttilib and Lane to regain the lead. The teams traded blows down the stretch, with the score tied 12 times and the lead changing hands seven times. Muttilib’s hot shooting and Lane’s attacking plays in transition helped Grambling build a late cushion, and the defense came up with key stops in the final minute.
Howard (1–2) was led by Bryce Harris with 15 points, six rebounds, and five steals.
Grambling shot 51% from the field and a sizzling 50% from three-point range (10-for-20), while limiting Howard to just 7-of-15 from beyond the arc. The Tigers also turned 19 Bison turnovers into 19 points and dominated fast-break opportunities, 20–6.
