Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech protected the Thomas Assembly Center yet again, pulling away late to defeat UTEP, 68-54, on Thursday night behind the tandem of Daniel Batcho and Tahlik Chavez.
Batcho has arguably his best performance as a Bulldog, registering a near triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high seven blocks. His running mate, Chavez, was his usual shot-making self, making some daggers late in route to 18 points.
“Our guys put their foot down,” said Tech head coach Talvin Hester. “Tahlik Chavez came into the huddle and said [UTEP] wanted it more than us. Then I said, ‘You guys do something about it.’ From that moment on, the team made some really good plays. I think the play that was really big was the bounce pass to [Daniel] Batcho who scored and got fouled. We started rolling from there. It is all predicated on us getting stops.”
LA Tech’s (14-6, 4-1 CUSA) unbeaten record at home did not come easy though as UTEP (11-9, 2-3 CUSA) did what it does best and that is force turnovers. They forced 18 of them and turned them into 14 points.
However, the Bulldogs halfcourt defense was elite, holding the Miners to just 29.5 percent shooting from the field and 17.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
“When you have a big guy in the middle to protect your rim, it helps your basketball team,” said Hester. “I don’t care if you are Kentucky, Kansas, or Prairie View A&M, when you have somebody to help you protect the paint it lets your guys press up on the ball, be more physical on the ball.”
It was that defense that allowed LA Tech to go on a 16-1 burst in the first half to take a 26-15 advantage, capped off by a putback layup from Isaiah Crawford. It was a stretch where UTEP did not make a single point in the span of six minutes.
“Daniel’s timing, his ability to chase balls down, his recovery, his athleticism,” said Hester about his 6-foot-11 big man. “The guy can move like he is 6-2, but he is 6-11. It is a luxury and a joy to have him. He wasn’t bad offensively either. He is a special player and I am glad we have him.”
That is when the Miners really started to force turnovers, countering with an 8-0 run of their own to get back to within three. The visiting team ultimately found themselves down 34-27 at halftime.
They used more forced turnovers to go on a 7-0 run to make it a two-score game at 48-46 with 8:35 remaining in the game. That was as close as UTEP would get as LA Tech punched back with an 8-0 run, sparked by Batcho’s and-one conversion. Then it was Chavez who helped seal with team’s fourth straight victory, scoring 10 points in the final seven minutes including two dagger three-pointers.
The Bulldogs host New Mexico State Saturday at 2 p.m.
