Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
AJ Bates recorded a career-high 26 points as Louisiana Tech never trailed in defeating Alcorn State, 83-58, on Saturday inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
Holding a slim 7-point lead at halftime, LA Tech (4-2) exploded for 46-second half points, making 20 of its 33 field goal attempts in the stanza in route to going 2-0 in its home multi-team event this week.
“I was happy with our energy level,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “I knew we had it in us, but we are still a learning team. I was excited about the way we came out from the jump. We had our highs and lows, which every basketball game does, but ultimately, we played with a lot of energy. Happy we went 2-0 this Thanksgiving week.”
Despite the early tip, the Bulldogs came out with a ton of energy from the jump. Bates scored the first four points then dished to Jaylen Fenner for a three-pointer from the wing to quickly go up 7-0.
Alcorn State (1-8) would respond with a 10-3 run to tie things up at 10-10, but a 6-0 mini run gave LA Tech the lead again, one it would never surrender.
Clinging to a 37-30 edge at the midway point, the Bulldogs used the three-ball to start to pull away. Kaden Cooper drilled one from the wing and then Bates later went back-to-back from downtown to force a Braves timeout with the ‘Dogs leading, 52-38.
Alcorn State could never get the deficit down to single digits as LA Tech continued to pull away, making 16 of its last 24 field goal attempts in the final 13 minutes of the contest.
Bates also added six assists and three boards to his stat line. Fellow point guard DJ Dudley had another strong performance, tallying 10 points, five assists, three boards, and two steals. The duo also had zero turnovers.
“I have been on them a lot,” said Hester in regards to Bates and Dudley. “It is a growing process with two guys. I think they are growing and understanding. Even though they both had unbelievable stats, there is still some stuff they can clean up. Those two are going to get even better.”
Joining them in double figures were Sir Issac Herron (season-high 12 points) and Kaden Cooper (10 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds) as the Bulldogs shot 53.0 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from deep.
“I felt like (Herron) has been trying to find a role for a while now,” said Hester. “I think he is now starting to see it and the game is starting to slow down. He has spent a lot a time in the film room recently, has turned his practice level up. You can see it translating on the court.”
Alcorn State was limited to 38.6 percent shooting as a team with Tycen McDaniels being the lone Brave in double figures with 11.
