Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Lady Techsters 82, McNeese 59
Louisiana Tech used a dominating performance in the paint and a stifling second-quarter defensive effort to remain unbeaten Saturday afternoon.
Hillary Dawson scored a career-high 21 points, Jordan Marshall added 20 and Brittani Wells flirted with a triple-double as the Lady Techsters rolled past McNeese 82-59 at Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles.
The victory improved Tech to 3-0 overall, including 2-0 on the road for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Dawson connected on 8 of 9 field goals while adding six rebounds and three assists. Marshall was equally efficient, hitting 9 of 12 shots while recording two steals and two blocked shots.
Wells turned in an impressive all-around performance with 12 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and eight assists, falling just two assists shy of the program’s first triple-double since Keiunna Walker accomplished the feat against Rice in 2022.
“Hillary ignited our group today in the first quarter on the offensive glass,” Tech coach Brooke Stoehr said. “She was outstanding finishing at the rim and being efficient with the ball in her hands. It was great to see that from her today.”
Tech overcame an early 4-0 deficit to take an 18-16 lead after one quarter before taking control with a dominating defensive performance in the second period.
The Lady Techsters limited McNeese to just six points on 1-of-10 shooting, including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, while building a 37-22 halftime advantage.
Tech continued its offensive assault in the third quarter, connecting on 10 of 14 field goals (71.4 percent) while recording nine assists. The Lady Techsters pushed their lead to as many as 27 points before McNeese mounted a fourth-quarter rally.
The Cowgirls trimmed the deficit to 13 midway through the final period, but Tech responded out of a timeout with a 16-6 run to put the game away.
“I thought we got some good minutes from our bench with all the foul trouble,” Stoehr said. “It was imperative that we used the size advantage that we had. We had moments where we got lost in transition, but we responded well out of the timeout.
“I thought we defended, rebounded, and took care of the ball. That’s our recipe for success.”
Tech dominated the interior, outscoring McNeese 50-20 in the paint. The Lady Techsters shot 69.2 percent from the field in the second half, recording 14 assists on 18 made baskets.
Stoehr also praised Wells for directing the offense despite foul trouble among Tech’s guards.
“Brit was a warrior today,” Stoehr said. “Her balance and control at the point, she commanded the offense well and crashed the boards hard.”
Marshall has now scored in double figures in all three games this season, while Dawson and Marshall became the first Tech teammates to score 20 points in the same game since January.
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Bulldogs at LSU
Louisiana Tech will put its unbeaten record on the line Monday night when the Bulldogs travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU in a matchup of 2-0 teams at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with the game televised on SEC Network+.
The Bulldogs enter the contest following one of the most dominating defensive performances in program history, an 86-17 victory over Arkansas-Monticello Thursday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.
The 17 points were the fewest allowed by either the Tech men’s or women’s basketball programs in the 44-year history of the TAC. It also marked the fewest points allowed by the Bulldogs in 91 years, dating to a 17-point defensive effort against Louisiana-Lafayette in 1935.
Tech’s defensive effort against Arkansas-Monticello included 18 steals, tied for the second-most in a single game in program history. Eight Bulldogs recorded at least one steal, led by Iyran Francis Jr. and Trashaun Combs Pierce with four each. Kyran Tilley added three, while Jay Tyler and Deven Bates recorded two apiece.
The Bulldogs converted the turnovers into 36 points and limited the Boll Weevils to just 15.8% shooting (6 of 38) from the field.
Offensively, Braylon Wenger led Tech with 13 points, followed by Francis with 12 and Adam Boyd with 10. Eleven Bulldogs scored in the victory.
Tech opened the season with an 85-75 victory over Kent State.
LSU has also enjoyed a strong start under Will Wade, who returned to Baton Rouge for his second stint as the Tigers’ head coach.
Wade, who compiled a 105-51 record during his first five seasons at LSU, returned after two seasons at McNeese and one at North Carolina State.
The Tigers opened the season with a 100-57 victory over LSU New Orleans before defeating Texas Southern 92-51.
Donovan Dent, Micheal Ruzic and Sailou Niang have each scored 29 points through LSU’s first two games.
The Tigers had six players score in double figures against Texas Southern, including double-double performances from Niang (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Ruzic (12 points, 11 rebounds).
Monday’s contest will mark the 15th meeting between the in-state programs, with LSU holding a commanding 13-1 advantage in the series.
The Tigers won the most recent meeting 66-57 in Bossier City in 2021. Wade was LSU’s head coach for three previous matchups against the Bulldogs in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Tech’s lone victory in the series came in 1988 when the Bulldogs defeated LSU 111-109 in overtime in Baton Rouge.
