Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech was unable to secure its first road win of the season, falling 61-53 to Tulane on Wednesday night inside Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
LA Tech (6-4) and Tulane (8-4) were only one made field goal apart. Both hit only three three-pointers. Therefore, the difference in the game ended up being free throws as the Bulldogs made 14 of their 18 attempts while the Green Wave lived at the charity stripe even more so, sinking 24 of their 31 tries.
“Every possession matters,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “This was a good basketball team that we played. On their home floor, we had to exceed their effort and energy. I thought we let some possessions get away from us, particularly at the end of the first half.
“We were up 20-19 and we do not close the half out well and they go up eight at halftime. And that ended up being the deficit that we lost by. We fouled way too much, played too handsy. They went to the free throw line 31 times. You cannot put people on the free throw line. This box score is hurtful.”
There were only 10 total fouls called in the first half, allowing for a smoother basketball game but still very little offense. With the Bulldogs down five, they proceeded to go on a 6-0 run capped by a bucket in the paint by AJ Bates to take their first lead of the contest at 17-16 with 5:43 to play in the stanza.
The Green Wave regained the lead just 17 seconds later thanks to a triple by Scotty Middleton, but DJ Dudley countered with a deep three of his own to give the ‘Dogs a 20-19 edge. That would be the last basket LA Tech would make in the first half as Tulane closed on a 9-0 run to take an 8-point advantage into halftime.
The second half was littered with fouls … 28 of them to be exact. LA Tech was able to hold Tulane, who came in averaging 76 points a game, to just seven made field goals in the entire second stanza (and only four over the final 15 minutes).
However, the Bulldogs could not generate an offensive run or keep the Green Wave off the foul line. LA Tech managed to get to within six on two occasions, one of which was following an old-fashioned three-point play by Scooter Williams at the 1:26 mark. But Tulane drew three more fouls down the stretch and made all six of its free throws to finish off the contest.
Dudley finished with a game-high 17 points, reaching double figures for the sixth consecutive game. Williams (13) and Bates (10) also tallied double-digit points.
