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 put an end to a two-game losing streak. The Bulldogs have not lost three consecutive games this season and are 3-0 when coming off back-to-back losses. • Would give the Bulldogs their sixth victory over the Blue Raiders at the Murphy Center. The series is tied 5-5 when playing at Middle Tennessee. • Would give the Bulldogs their 18th win of the season. LA Tech has won 18+ games in 11 of the last 13 seasons.
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AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 142
AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS (17-8, 8-4 cusa) Head Coach: Nick McDevitt Record at MTSU: 100-114 (7th year) Career Record: 198-180 (12th year) Record vs. LA Tech: 3-5
AP Poll: NR Coaches Poll: NR NET Ranking: 102
BULLDOG STORYLINES & PROJECTED STARTERS • LA Tech and league-leader Jacksonville State went down to the wire for the second time this season, and again the Bulldogs suffered a two-point loss to the Gamecocks, falling 70-68. The ‘Dogs were down by nine with 2:44 to go and got it to within one point on three separate occasions but could not pull off the comeback, dropping their second straight home game (just the fourth time in the last 13 seasons LA Tech has lost back-to-back games in the Thomas Assembly Center).
4 SEAN NEWMAN JR.
• Louisiana Tech begins a three-game road swing starting on Thursday night versus Middle Tennessee at the Murphy Center. The Bulldogs will be looking to sweep the Blue Raiders this season as they have already defeated MTSU in Ruston.
9.7 ppg | 2.2 rpg | 8.3 apg
AMAREE ABRAM
• Kaden Cooper returned to the starting lineup and ended up playing a team-high 37 minutes while recording eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds (also tied a career high) versus the Gamecocks. It marked the 14th time this season that the guard has led LA Tech in rebounding. He continues to pace the Bulldogs with an average of 7.3 rebounds per game and currently ranks first in CUSA in defensive rebounds per game (5.92).
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• While LA Tech made more field goals and more three-pointers than Jax State, it was free throws that proved to be the difference. The Bulldogs went 13-of-18 from the foul line while the Gamecocks made 26 of their 30 free throw attempts (their last 15 points of the game came from the charity stripe). It was only the second time in the last 12 years that an opponent attempted 30+ free throws in a home game for LA Tech.
12.0 ppg | 4.6 rpg | 1.8 apg
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Overall: 17-9 | CUSA: 6-7 | H: 10-3 | A: 3-6 | 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+ L 61-63 18 at Kennesaw State* ESPN+ L 76-78 23 WKU* CBS SN W 77-67 25 MIDDLE TENNESSEE* ESPNU W 75-69 FEBRUARY 1 SAM HOUSTON* ESPNU W 66-61OT 6 at Liberty* CBS SN L 53-77 8 at FIU* ESPN+ W 82-71 13 KENNESAW STATE* ESPN+ L 47-69 15 JACKSONVILLE STATE* ESPN+ L 68-70 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: 54-37 (3rd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. MTSU: 3-3
• Sean Newman Jr. ranks top three in the country in both total assists (217) and assists per game (8.3). His three assists against Jax State brought his season assists total to 217, which ranks as the fourth most in program history. • Daniel Batcho scored a team-high 19 points against Jax State, marking the 13th time this season the power forward has scored 19+ points in a game. He is now shooting 69.0 percent from the field, which ranks second in the country. Batcho also now has 57 blocks on the season, 12th most in the country. The one block against the Gamecocks brought his Bulldog career total to 124, tied for the fifth most in program history. Batcho has been at his best against Middle Tennessee. In his four games played versus the Blue Raiders, he is averaging 21.0 points and 10.8 rebounds (had 25 points and 12 boards in their first meeting this season). • Amaree Abram tallied 16 points versus Jax State, his 18th game in double figures this season (has scored 16+ in three of his last five games). He made two three-pointers, bringing his team-high total to 54 triples. It marked the 18th time this season he has hit multiple threes in a game. • 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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AL GREEN
2024-25 SCHEDULE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (17-9, 6-7 cusa)
8.8 ppg | 1.8 rpg | 0.8 apg
KADEN 11 COOPER
DATE/TIME: Thursday, Feb. 20 | 8:00 p.m. CT LOCATION: Murphy Center (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) SERIES HISTORY: LA Tech leads, 16-8 STREAK: LA Tech, 1 LAST MEETING: Jan. 25, 2025 | Ruston, La. LA Tech 75, Middle Tennessee 69 MEDIA: CBS Sports Network TALENT: Fran Charles (pxp), Michael O’Donnell (analyst) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
GAME 27 MATCHUP
9.8 ppg | 7.3 rpg | 1.2 apg
DANIEL 13 BATCHO
GAMEDAY INFO
17.9 ppg | 6.7 rpg | 2.2 bpg
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