LOUISIANA TECH 2024-25 BULLDOG BASKETBALL
All home games CAPS | All times CST and subject to change # Icons of the Game (Long Island, N.Y.) ^ Gulf Coast Showcase (Estero, Fla.) * Conference USA game | $ Huntsville, Ala.
A LA TECH WIN... • Would give the Bulldogs their third win ever over the Gamecocks. LA Tech is 2-0 in the series. • Would give the Bulldogs their seventh victory away from home this season. LA Tech is 2-3 in true road games and 4-0 in neutral site games. • Would give the Bulldogs their 129th Conference USA victory all-time. LA Tech is 128-70 in CUSA games and will play its 200th such game on Saturday against Kennesaw State.
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AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 119
AT JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS (9-7, 1-2 cusa) Head Coach: Ray Harper Record at Jax State: 155-119 (9th year) Career Record: 494-245 (26th year) Record vs. LA Tech: 1-3
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 149
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS
10.1 ppg | 2.6 rpg | 9.5 apg
1
• LA Tech made it a home sweep this past week, handing Liberty just its third loss of the season with a 79-74 victory on Saturday. Down seven at halftime, the Bulldogs put up a whopping 52 points on the Flames in the second half (came into the contest allowing 59.9 points per game). It marked the sixth time this season LA Tech has won after trailing at halftime and the 79 points was also the most scored on Liberty all season. It was a milestone for Talvin Hester who collected his 50th career win as head coach of the ‘Dogs.
4 SEAN NEWMAN JR.
• Louisiana Tech heads back on the road for a pair of conference games, starting on Thursday night versus Jacksonville State at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Bulldogs go for their first league win on the road this season.
• LA Tech made 22 of its 25 free throw attempts against Liberty (most in a game with at least 25 attempts since 2021). The Bulldogs, who rank second in CUSA in free throw percentage at 75.6 percent, have now had five games where they shot at least 80 percent from the charity stripe.
AMAREE ABRAM
• After averaging just 54.0 points on 35.6 percent shooting in their two conference road losses to UTEP and New Mexico State, the Bulldogs regrouped at home by averaging 80.0 points on 51.8 percent shooting in the two victories over FIU and Liberty. LA Tech currently ranks 23rd in the country in field goal percentage this season at a 49.3 percent clip.
12.8 ppg | 4.6 rpg | 1.8 spg
KADEN 11 COOPER
Overall: 13-4 | CUSA: 2-2 | H: 7-1 | A: 2-3 | N: 4-0 NOVEMBER MEDIA W/L SCORE 4 LSU-ALEXANDRIA ESPN+ W 77-50 9 at UT Arlington ESPN+ W 92-77 13 vs. UMass# MSG+ W 76-66 18 MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE ESPN+ W 105-67 25 vs. Southern Illinois^ FloCollege W 85-79OT 26 vs. Richmond^ FloCollege W 65-62 27 vs. Eastern Kentucky^ FloCollege W 78-69 30 SOUTHERN ESPN+ L 70-73 DECEMBER 4 at #16 Memphis ESPN+ L 71-81 8 at UL-Lafayette ESPN+ W 69-58 13 GEORGIA SOUTHERN ESPN+ W 77-63 16 GRAND CANYON ESPN+ W 74-66 21 RUST COLLEGE ESPN+ W 108-60 JANUARY 2 at UTEP* ESPN+ L 60-70 4 at New Mexico State* ESPN+ L 48-78 9 FIU* ESPN+ W 81-64 11 LIBERTY* ESPNU W 79-74 16 at Jacksonville State* ESPN+ 6 p.m. 18 at Kennesaw State* ESPN+ 4 p.m. 23 WKU* CBS SN 6 p.m. 25 MIDDLE TENNESSEE* ESPNU 5:30 p.m. FEBRUARY 1 SAM HOUSTON* ESPNU 3 p.m. 6 at Liberty* CBS SN 7 p.m. 8 at FIU* ESPN+ 1 p.m. 13 KENNESAW STATE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 15 JACKSONVILLE STATE* ESPN+ 3 p.m. 20 at Middle Tennessee* CBS SN 8 p.m. 22 at WKU* ESPN+ 7 p.m. MARCH 1 at Sam Houston* ESPN+ 4:30 p.m. 6 NEW MEXICO STATE* ESPN+ 6:30 p.m. 8 UTEP* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 11 CUSA Championship$ ----- TBA
Head Coach: Talvin Hester Record at LA Tech: 50-32 (3rd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. Jax State: 2-0
• Sean Newman Jr. scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting while playing the entire 40 minutes against Liberty. The point guard also dished out eight assists, marking his second game this season with at least 25 points and eight dimes (only player in the country to have multiple games with this stat line). He has recorded at least eight assists in 12 of the 17 games this season. He ranks second in the country in total assists (162) and first in assists per game (9.5). • Daniel Batcho recorded his third double-double of the season with 24 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. It marked his sixth game this season with 20+ points, upping his scoring average to 18.5 points per game. He continues to rank first in the country in field goal percentage at 74.7 percent. He also had a big impact as usual on the defensive end too, recording three blocks versus the Flames (seventh time this season with at least three rejections). His 41 total blocks ranks seventh in the nation. • Amaree Abram was terrific on both ends versus the Flames. Offensively, he scored all 13 of his points in the second half. Meanwhile defensively, he had the responsibility of guarding Liberty’s leading scorer Kaden Metheny who finished with a season-low three points. • Talvin Hester is in his third season at the helm at LA Tech. In his second year, Hester was able to blend in seven newcomers in route to a 22-win season and a second-place finish in CUSA. He will be tasked with the same thing as seven newcomers join the 2024-25 squad, mixed in with six returners (five of which made a combined 67 starts last season). • LA Tech was picked to finish first in the Conference USA preseason poll, as voted on by the league head coaches. It was definitely not unanimous as five of the 10 conference teams picked up at least one first-place vote and the top three were separated by only four points. This marks the first time since 2014 that the Bulldogs are preseason league favorites.
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11.9 ppg |7.7 rpg | 1.7 spg
0
2024-25 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (13-4, 2-2 cusa)
DEVIN REE
DATE/TIME: Thursday, Jan. 16 | 6 p.m. CT LOCATION: Pete Mathews Coliseum (Jacksonville, Ala.) SERIES HISTORY: LA Tech leads, 2-0 STREAK: LA Tech, 2 LAST MEETING: Feb. 15, 2024 | Ruston, La. LA Tech 63, Jax State 58 MEDIA: ESPN+ TALENT: Eli Gold (pxp), Mickey Shadrix (analyst) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 18 MATCHUP
4.6 ppg | 3.3 rpg | 0.3 apg
DANIEL 13 BATCHO
GAMEDAY INFO
18.5 ppg | 6.8 rpg | 2.4 bpg
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