Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications & GSU Athletic Communications
Lady Techsters 75, Sam Houston 60
Louisiana Tech defeated Sam Houston 75-60 to cap of a perfect 9-0 road record in conference play in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
It marked the 15th straight victory for Tech (22-5, 15-1), the longest winning streak since the 2005-06 team also won 15 in a row.
“We knew it would be a physical game against Sam Houston,” said head coach Brooke Stoehr. “We needed to stick to our road recipe we have had all year of defending, rebounding and taking care of the basketball. I thought we did a nice job of keeping them off the offensive boards and off the free throw line, especially in the first half. It was great to see us running the floor and getting to spots and sharing the ball to find open shooters. So proud of their mindset and mentality to win another road game against a good team in Sam Houston.
“We will get a chance to finish up finals early next week and have two games at home to finish the regular season. We want to have some great crowds to complete these last two homes games and give this group a boost as we try to close out the home slate.”
The Lady Techsters started fast, opening the game on a 7-0 run and forcing three Sam Houston turnovers. The Bearkats closed the gap to five entering the first media, but a Jianna Morris triple closed the quarter, pushing the lead back to 21-14. Paris Bradley made two triples, scoring six in the frame.
Louisiana Tech pushed the lead to 10 after Kaleigh Thompson’s free throws, leading as much 14 to close the quarter. Every basket Sam Houston made, LA Tech had an answer, pushing the lead to double-digits four separate times. Alexia Weaver made two triples, upping the team total to 6-12 from deep in the first half, leading 38-24.
The Lady Techsters continued to add to the lead in the penultimate frame, outscoring the Bearkats 17-14. Both offenses traded baskets with the Louisiana Tech lead never closing to below 12. Five Lady Techsters chipped in the frame, led by Joy Madison-Key’s five points.
Sam Houston’s offense found some life in the final quarter, scoring 22 in the frame. Although a 6-0 Bearkat run closed the lead to 14, Louisiana Tech would answer back with a 6-0 run of their own, leading by 20. The Lady Techsters lead was never in danger, dribbling out the clock to win 75-60. LA Tech shot 8-12 in the final quarter, scoring 20 points.
This is the 22nd win of the season for LA Tech, the most wins in a season since 2010-11 and the most for Brooke Stoehr as a head coach. The Lady Techsters went a perfect 9-0 on the road in conference play, the first time since 2003-04.
Louisiana Tech return to Ruston for the final two home games of the season. Tipoff against New Mexico State is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday night and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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FIU 84, Bulldogs 76
A pivotal second-half surge proved to be the difference on Saturday afternoon as Louisiana Tech fell to FIU, 84-76, in the final game this season inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
“I thought we did not play with the right attitude,” said Tech head coach Talvin Hester. “We did not have much life and energy to us being in a dogfight. We let FIU stay in the game. We had a couple of times where we could have pulled away.”
With LA Tech (16-13, 9-9 CUSA) holding its largest lead of the contest at 59-52 with 12:13 to play, FIU (14-15, 7-11 CUSA) erupted for a decisive 20-5 run over the next five minutes to seize control. The Panthers knocked down five of their 13 three-pointers during that stretch, flipping a seven-point deficit into an eight-point advantage.
The Bulldogs scratched and clawed their way back, trimming the margin to four following a layup by DJ Dudley with 1:04 remaining. However, FIU went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the victory and complete the season sweep of the ‘Dogs.
“We made some subs and did not get the same intensity,” said Hester. “And some guys looked fatigued. Some of it had to do with our offense and turning the ball over. They got 27 points off turnovers. When you have 19 turnovers in a game, which has rattled us here of late, it makes it hard to win.”
LA Tech struggled out of the gates and fell behind by 10 before Jaylen Fenner sparked the home side. The freshman poured in 19 of his career-high 25 points in the first half as the Bulldogs used a 15-1 run to turn the tide. Despite the surge, LA Tech entered halftime trailing 41-40.
A three-pointer by Kaden Cooper and a counted layup following a goaltending call helped the ‘Dogs build their 59-52 cushion in the second half before FIU’s three-point barrage shifted the momentum for good.
Turnovers and fouls proved costly for LA Tech, as its 19 turnovers led to 27 FIU points. The Bulldogs also committed a season-high 22 fouls, resulting in 21 made free throws for the Panthers.
In addition to Fenner’s career effort, Dudley added 20 points, while Avery Thomas II returned to the lineup and contributed 10.
LA Tech will head to Lynchburg, Virginia to battle league-leader Liberty on Thursday, March 5. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
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Florida A&M 66, Tigers 59
Grambling State rallied in the second half but could not overcome a slow start in a 66-59 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) loss to Florida A&M on Saturday afternoon at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
With the loss, Grambling State dropped to 12-17 overall and 6-10 in SWAC play. Florida A&M improved to 13-15 overall and 10-7 in conference action.
Florida A&M controlled the game from the outset, building a double-digit lead midway through the first half. The Rattlers shot 44 percent from the field in the opening period and limited Grambling State to 6-of-31 shooting, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range.
A jumper by Jaquan Sanders at the buzzer gave Florida A&M its largest lead of the half at 30-17 entering the break. The Rattlers scored 20 of their 30 first-half points in the paint and did not trail in the contest.
Grambling State responded with renewed energy in the second half, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and knocking down 6 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Tigers opened the period on a 9-2 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Derrius Ward and a pair of baskets inside by Jimel Lane, to trim the deficit to single digits.
Ward led Grambling State with 17 points, connecting on 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Jamil Muttilib added 10 points, including three 3-pointers in the final four minutes, as the Tigers made a late push.
After trailing by as many as 14 points early in the second half, Grambling State cut the deficit to 61-56 with 47 seconds remaining on Muttilib’s third 3-pointer of the half. Roderick Coffee III followed with a transition 3-pointer to bring the Tigers within 66-59 with 32 seconds left.
However, Florida A&M secured key rebounds and forced a pair of missed 3-point attempts in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
Coffee finished with 10 points and six rebounds, while Lane contributed eight points and five boards. Antonio Munoz scored seven points and dished out two assists off the bench.
Florida A&M placed four players in double figures, led by Sanders with 16 points. Antonio Baker and Miles Ndalama each added 12 points, and Ndalama grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Tyler Shirley chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.
The Rattlers shot 46.6 percent from the field for the game and held a 40-32 advantage on the glass. They also outscored Grambling State 44-16 in the paint.
Grambling State finished 20 of 60 from the field and 8 of 23 from 3-point range while converting 11 of 13 free throws. The Tigers forced 16 turnovers and scored 22 points off those miscues but were unable to overcome the first-half deficit.
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Tigers 79, Florida A&M 65
Grambling State University used a strong second half to secure a 79–65 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory over Florida A&M on Saturday afternoon inside the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
It was the Tigers third straight win.
Florida A&M came out hot taking a 20–19 lead after the opening quarter.
Grambling State responded in the second period outscoring the Rattlers 20–14 to carry a 39–34 advantage into halftime. The Lady Tigers maintained control in the third quarter, matching Florida A&M point-for-point to take a 59–56 lead into the final frame.
Grambling State dominated the fourth quarter holding the Rattlers to just nine points while pouring in 20 of their own to seal the 14-point conference win.
Alisha Murray led the Lady Tigers with 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Shaniah Nunn added 12 points and eight rebounds, while D’Mya Griffin chipped in 11 points knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. Jakiylah Esco provided a strong interior presence with eight points and seven rebounds.
Grambling State shot 49.1 percent from the field and finished with a commanding 44–9 advantage in bench scoring.
Florida A&M was led by Miya Giles-Jones with 19 points, while Shaniyah McCarthy added 16.
