Courtesy of LA Tech & GSU Athletic Communications
Lady Techsters 77, New Mexico State 58 (Saturday in Las Cruces)
Fourth quarter effort keep the winning streak alive as Louisiana Tech beats New Mexico State 77-58 in Las Cruces Saturday afternoon.
“I am extremely proud of the way this group responded to some adversity today on the road,” said head coach Brooke Stoehr. “They had a very mature response to New Mexico State’s third quarter run. We took their punch and came back with a show of togetherness and toughness that I am incredibly proud to see.
“Our defensive energy was not where it needed to be in the third and we were not as poised as we needed to be offensively. We challenged them in the break and they played so tough in the fourth. This game will be one we can learn and grow from as we head deep into February and March. I am just really proud of the grit and toughness our group showed today.”
Another slow start for the Lady Techsters, scoring only five points entering the first media timeout. Louisiana Tech shot only 2-8 and were outrebounded 10-3 heading to the benches, trailing the Aggies by three. Out of the media, the offense put together an 8-2 run to take the lead, forcing seven turnovers in the quarter. Louisiana Tech maintained the lead 15-13, led by Paris Bradley’s seven.
The offense once again caught fire in the second, jumping out to as much as a 15-point lead. Weaver’s triple forced an early timeout, stealing the ball five times in the first half. LA Tech scored 23 in the frame, assisting 5 times on six baskets. Weaver stole the ball four times in the quarter, taking a 38-23 lead into the locker room.
The Aggies erupted in the third, making as many as nine shots in a row in the quarter. The frame started even until New Mexico State ripped a 7-0 run in one minute. LA Tech was outscored 26-15 as the Aggies closed the gap to just four to end the quarter.
The fourth quarter stayed tight to start, both teams trading baskets. Then Alexia Weaver happened, nailing a triple and an and-one to get the lead back to 10 for Louisiana Tech, having 20 points in the game. The lead stretched to 14 under the two-minute mark with Louisiana Tech making six of their last eight. New Mexico state did not score in the final four minutes as the Lady Techsters hung on to win 77-58.
Weaver was sensational, scoring a team high 20 points and grabbing a career high seven steals. Weaver also made a season high five triples on only six attempts.
Four Lady Techsters reached double-figures and shot 50.9 percent as a team. This marks the first time Louisiana Tech has swept UTEP and their travel partner on the road since joining Conference USA in 2013-14.
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Bulldogs 87, Sam Houston 78 (Saturday in Ruston)
One week after a frustrating loss, Louisiana Tech made sure there was no repeat performance this time around.
Fueled by a relentless effort on the glass and a dominant presence in the paint, the Bulldogs exacted revenge on Sam Houston with an 87-78 victory Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
“We played tougher and were more together than we have been all year,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “I think it reflected in our offensive performance. We shared the ball with 17 assists on 30 made baskets. We advanced the ball, got out in transition. And even though we were not making threes, we dominated the glass with Avery and Kaden to be able to get second chance opportunities. Then we guarded like we guard.”
The game carried added significance with Bulldog legend Paul Millsap in attendance – along with other LA Tech greats for Legends Day – for his No. 24 jersey retirement. The program’s elite rebounder served as a fitting source of inspiration as LA Tech (13-10, 6-6 CUSA) channeled his trademark toughness, effort and physicality throughout the contest to snap Sam Houston’s (16-8, 8-5 CUSA) seven-game winning streak.
The Bearkats did plenty of damage from beyond the arc, drilling 13 three-pointers. The Bulldogs – not so much – finishing with just one made triple.
Nevertheless, LA Tech still put up a whopping 87 points, it’s most in a conference game this season, by attacking the rim at will. The result was 48 points in the paint and a season-high 26 made free throws.
Another key contributor to the Bulldogs’ 12th home victory of the season was rebounding, as LA Tech won the battle of the boards 46-30. It was primarily the tandem of Avery Thomas II and Kaden Cooper who led the way, as both recorded double-doubles. Thomas II finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Cooper – playing for the first time since Jan. 14 – posted 16 points and a career-high 18 boards.
Helping the Bulldogs in the scoring column was AJ Bates, who finished with a game-high 21 points, Sir Issac Herron with a career-high 18, and Scooter Williams, who added 10.
The first half featured six ties and 10 lead changes, with the Bearkats having a slim 38-37 advantage at the break. Sam Houston then opened the second half with an 8-2 run to build its largest lead of the game at 46-39 with 17:50 to play.
Thomas II knocked down LA Tech’s lone three-pointer of the game to stop the bleeding. Trailing by six with under 15 minutes remaining, the Bulldogs put together a 10-0 run, sparked by Herron, who scored six of the 10 points while also helping the home team hold the Bearkats scoreless for more than six minutes.
Sam Houston continued to hang around, trimming the deficit to 71-68 with just over two minutes on the clock. LA Tech then went on a quick 6-0 spurt, beginning with a Herron block that led to a floater in the paint by Thomas II. Bates tacked on two free throws, followed by a wide-open layup that was perhaps the play of the game, as Cooper rejected a three-point attempt and fired a homerun pass up the floor for the assist.
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Tigers 57, Alabama State 47 (Saturday at Grambling)
Grambling State put together a dominant second-half performance to pull away from Alabama State and secure a 57-47 SWAC victory Saturday afternoon at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
GSU improved to 11-11 overall and 5-4 in the SWAC, while ASU dropped to 7-16 and 4-6 in conference.
After a slow start offensively, the Tigers flipped the script after halftime, outscoring the Hornets 39-26 in the second half to improve to 11-11 overall and 5-4 in conference play. Alabama State led 21-18 at the break before Grambling State erupted for one of its most efficient halves of the season, shooting 61.9 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three-point range in the final 20 minutes.
GSU’s surge was fueled by Roderick Coffee III, who led all scorers with 24 points while knocking down four three-pointers and grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double effort. Coffee scored in a variety of ways in the second half, including key baskets in the paint and timely perimeter shooting as the Tigers seized control of the contest.
Rickey Ballard provided a major spark from the perimeter, finishing with 14 points and connecting on four three-pointers. Ballard caught fire during the second half, drilling multiple triples during a decisive run that pushed Grambling State into a double-digit lead and swung momentum firmly in the Tigers’ favor.
Derrius Ward added seven points and three assists, while Devyn Franklin chipped in five points and nine rebounds, helping anchor the Tigers on the glass. Jamil Muttilib contributed two points, nine rebounds, and two blocks, giving Grambling a strong defensive presence in the paint.
The Tigers’ defense tightened up after the break, holding Alabama State to 29.4 percent shooting in the second half. GSU also controlled the boards, finishing with a 40-34 rebounding advantage and limiting second-chance opportunities during their second-half surge.
After trading baskets early in the second half, Grambling State used a decisive stretch midway through the period to build separation. Back-to-back three-pointers by Ballard and Coffee sparked a run that pushed the Tigers in front by double figures, and they maintained control down the stretch with timely stops and efficient offense.
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Tech Track and Field at Arkansas
Louisiana Tech track and field recorded 17 top-10 performances to close out the Woo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday and now have just one more meet on the indoor schedule before the Conference USA Indoor Championships.
Kaitlyn Washington delivered a strong showing in the weight throw, placing fourth with a mark of 17.44 meters. A’Reil Williams earned a fifth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters, while Tia Reder added a sixth-place effort in the triple jump with a season-best 12.10 meters.
On the track, Jamara Patterson turned in two top finishes, placing seventh in the 400 meters with a season-best 53.63, before returning to place fourth in the 200 meters with a personal-best 24.04. Jaitlyn Ware followed closely in the 200, finishing fifth with a time of 24.16. Katie Truett matched her personal best in the 60-meter hurdles, posting a time of 9.26.
Brayden Vining placed third in the men’s 800 meters with a personal-best time of 1:53.44. On the women’s side, the 4×400 relay team finished second overall, clocking 3:37.93 to secure one of Tech’s top performances of the meet. The men’s 4×400 relay followed with a fourth-place finish in 3:13.08, a season best that also ties the fourth-fastest time in indoor program history.
The men’s sprint group saw strong results as Frank Bradley-Reed placed sixth in the 400 meters (47.37), while Rickey Williams III followed in seventh with a time of 47.66. Bradley-Reed added a third-place finish in the 200 meters, running a personal-best 21.26.
In the middle distances, Katie Langford finished eighth in the women’s 800 meters with a personal-best 2:14.43, while Cameren Williams placed seventh in the men’s 800 with a season-best 1:54.59. Dillon Sanchez followed with an eighth-place finish, recording a personal-best 1:57.37. Vining capped his meet with another personal record, placing seventh in the mile at 4:18.81, rounding out a productive weekend for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs return to Fayetteville for their final indoor regular-season meet at the Tyson Invitational, taking place on February 13-14, followed by the CUSA Indoor Championships in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 28-March 1.
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Tech Tennis
After a three-week hiatus, Louisiana Tech was back in action as the Bulldogs split their Sunday doubleheader at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, highlighted by a shutout victory over Bellarmine and the highest ranked doubles win in program history.
LA Tech (3-2) opened the day with a decisive 4-0 victory against Bellarmine (2-7), claiming the doubles point plus singles wins on courts two, three, and five. Following a one-hour break, LA Tech stunned Mississippi State (5-0) by winning the doubles point, but the home Bulldogs swept all six singles lines to take the match 6-1.
“Today was about competing with confidence and staying locked in from the first ball to the last, and we showed that,” said head coach Amy Sargeant. “Two doubles points came from being intentional and committing to being the aggressive team first. That work is paying off. Singles against Bellarmine was solid: clean execution, simple decisions, and discipline to the game plan. Now the next step is raising our grit level in the tough moments. Lean into pressure, embrace the fight, and keep demanding more from ourselves.”
Mio Kozaki and Diane Starodubtseva picked up the first win of the day, claiming a 6-1 victory on court three. Alice Brook and Maria Tsironi followed with a 6-4 win on court two to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
LA Tech raced out to leads in singles, claiming the first set on five of the six courts versus the Knights. Nina Skoric finished first, dominating Marika Caruk 6-2, 6-0 at the No. 2 spot. Shortly thereafter, June Vigneron dismantled Lillie Willis 6-2, 6-1 at the No. 5 position.
Clinching the match for the ‘Dogs was Starodubtseva who overpowered Gracie Hurley 6-3, 6-1 on court three.
LA Tech kept that momentum into doubles play against SEC foe and undefeated Mississippi State. While the home Bulldogs picked up a win on court two, the visiting Bulldogs countered as Kozaki and Starodubtseva teamed up again to tally a 6-4 victory on court three.
The opening point came down to court one where Zoie Epps and Isabella Walker were up against the 9th-ranked doubles team in the country in Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Gianna Oboniye. Down 2-4, Epps and Walker won three straight games to take a 5-4 lead. Up 40-30 in the game, Epps ripped a backhand down the line to win 6-4, claiming the highest ranked win ever at LA Tech.
The home Bulldogs regrouped though, winning all six singles matches via straight sets.
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Bulldogs Softball (4-0 in Hattiesburg)
The Louisiana Tech softball team closed out the Southern Miss Black and Gold Challenge with an 8-3 extra-inning win against Southern Miss on Sunday, marking Tech’s first 4-0 start since 2024.
Tech defeated Lipscomb 3-2 on Friday before coming back Saturday to post wins over UAB (7-4) and SEMO (8-0).
On Sunday’s win in a back-and-forth game through seven innings, the Bulldogs entered extra innings tied 3-3 before erupting for five runs on five hits in the top of the eighth to secure an 8-3 win over the Golden Eagles.
Allie Floyd made the start in the circle but was pulled after allowing three hits, three runs (two earned) and four walks. Freshman Bryannah Campos (2-0) excelled in relief, tossing the final 4.2 innings to earn the win. Campos allowed two hits, no runs, one walk and struck out three.
Aleah Brooks led the Bulldogs with three hits and three RBI in the win, while Reese Torres, Bradi Gallaway and Elena Heng collected two hits apiece. Torres and Gallaway each finished with two RBI while Allie Furr drove in one run.
LA Tech jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Heng led off with a single and Furr drew a walk to put two runners on. Reagan Marchant followed with a fielder’s choice, and Gallaway and Brooks then delivered back-to-back singles to drive in Furr and Marchant.
USM cut the lead to one in the bottom of the frame, using a single and three walks to score a run. The Golden Eagles tied the game at two apiece in the bottom of the second inning on a sac fly. LA Tech added one run in the third as Brooks double to center to drive in Gallaway who drew a walk earlier in the inning.
Southern Miss took advantage of leadoff walk, a sac bunt and bunt to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the fourth.
Quiet through the next three innings, LA Tech erupted for five runs on three hits to take an 8-3 lead in the top of the eighth. Back-to-back walks to Avery Jefferson and Rogers put two Bulldogs on base, while Heng moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Furr reached on a fielder’s choice to drive in Jefferson, followed by a walk to Marchant. Torres then singled to center to score Furr and Rogers, and Gallaway followed with a single to left to plate Carolina Eidson, who entered as a pinch runner for Marchant. Brooks capped the scoring by driving in Torres with a single to left field to make it 8-3.
Campos retired the side in order in the bottom of the frame with a flyout, strikeout and lineout to secure the win.
