by Malcolm Butler
It wasn’t pretty.
But it was a win, and the 11th straight for Louisiana Tech as the Lady Techsters defeated FIU 71-49 Thursday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.
With the victory, Tech (18-5, 11-1) maintained its two-game lead over Sam Houston State in the league standings with six games to play.
This victory didn’t come easy.
Tech overcame a night where it committed 24 turnovers, 25 fouls and shot just 36 percent from the field, while preseason CUSA Player of the Year Paris Bradley scored a season-low three points while being saddled with foul trouble.
Yet, it won … by 21.
“Paris was this team’s biggest cheerleader tonight, and our team is successful because of that,” said head coach Brooke Stoehr. “Our leading scorer and I think the best player in this league is the best teammate. She sets the tone for us every day.”
In a game that saw 50 fouls and 59 free throws between the two teams, offensive rhythm was almost impossible to come by during the four quarters.
But the Lady Techsters won with defense on this night, holding CUSA’s leading scorer and rebounder Raheem Collins to a season-low five points and five rebounds. Tech also held the Panthers, the second highest scoring team in CUSA, to 24 points below its average as FIU shot just 29 percent from the field an only 1-of-20 from the three-point line.
“We didn’t shoot it well, and we turned it over too much,” said Stoehr. “But we stayed the course. We did it on the defensive end of the floor tonight.”
Jianna Morris and Alexis Weaver each scored 14 points, combining to hit seven three-pointers — five coming in the fourth quarter — while Jordan Marshall scored 13 points and Joy Madison-Key added 11 points.
Tech led 34-24 at halftime and 45-35 at the end of the third before outscoring FIU 26-14 over the final 10 minutes of play.
The Lady Techsters have won 10 of their 11 CUSA games by double figures.
Tech will host Missouri State Saturday at 1 p.m.
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Bulldogs 79, Missouri State 78 (2OT)
Avery Thomas scored 19 points and Kaden Cooper recorded his second straight double double to lead Louisiana Tech to a 79-78 double overtime win at Missouri State Thursday night.
Tech (14-11, 7-6 CUSA) trailed by double figures in the first half, but Cooper — who ended the night with 17 points and 13 rebounds — ignited a Bulldog rally that saw the blue and red lead by four at the half.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to as many as eight in the second half before a scoring drought allowed the Bears to retake the lead late. Trailing 68-66 with the ball and the time running out, sophomore guard AJ Bates hit a jumper with 1 second to play to send the game into OT.
Missouri State held a 75-70 lead with two minutes to play in the first extra period, before five straight points by the Bulldogs, including the game-tying jumper by Scooter Williams with 22 seconds left, sent the contest into a second OT period.
There neither team scored until DJ Dudley, who had a quiet night with eight points, hit back-to-back buckets to give Tech a 79-75 lead. Dudley then missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Missouri State answered with Kobi Williams’s sixth three-pointer of the night to trim it to 79-78.
After Tech came up empty, the Bears had one last opportunity to win it, but a couple of misses in the closing seconds gave the Bulldogs only their second road win of the year.
