LOUISIANA TECH 2023-24 BULLDOG BASKETBALL GAME 29 MATCHUP
GAMEDAY INFO DATE/TIME: Wednesday, Feb. 28 | 7 p.m. CT LOCATION: E.A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Ky.) SERIES HISTORY: WKU leads, 22-21 STREAK: WKU, 2 LAST MEETING: Feb. 7, 2024 | Ruston, La. WKU 81, LA Tech 76 MEDIA: ESPN+ TALENT: Jonathan Mathes (pxp) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app TALENT: Malcolm Butler (pxp) STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
2023-24 SCHEDULE MEDIA MWN ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ MWN
Head Coach: Talvin Hester Record at LA Tech: 35-26 (2nd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. WKU: 1-2
AP Poll: NR USA Today Poll: NR NET Ranking: 82
AT WKU HILLTOPPERS (19-8, 8-5 cusa) Head Coach: Steve Lutz Record at WKU: 19-8 (1st year) Career Record: 66-31 (3rd year) Record vs. LA Tech: 1-0
AP Poll: NR USA Today Poll: NR NET Ranking: 143
BULLDOG STORYLINES
Overall: 20-8 | CUSA: 10-3 | H: 13-1 | A: 7-7 | N: 0-0 NOVEMBER 6 at Colorado State 13 LYON COLLEGE 16 at ULM 21 SOUTHERN UTAH^ 22 MCNEESE STATE^ 25 DILLARD 29 at New Mexico
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (20-8, 10-3 cusa)
W/L L W W W W W L
SCORE 73-81 100-43 73-63 67-53 71-62 105-65 65-74
DECEMBER 2 NICHOLLS ESPN+ W 68-55 5 at Stephen F. Austin ESPN+ W 56-49 9 UL-LAFAYETTE ESPN+ W 72-67 12 SOUTHEASTERN ESPN+ W 89-60 16 at Saint Louis ESPN+ L 74-75 20 at Seattle U ESPN+ L 73-79OT 30 at Grand Canyon ESPN+ L 70-73
• Louisiana Tech closes out its three-game road stretch on Wednesday night by taking on WKU at 7 p.m. CT inside E.A. Diddle Arena. This will be the final road game of the season for the Bulldogs, having gone 7-7 away from home (5-2 in league road games). • After sweeping the road swing this past week at UTEP and New Mexico State, LA Tech remains tied with Sam Houston atop the CUSA standings with three games remaining. • LA Tech picked up its fourth straight win by defeating New Mexico State, 67-58. Trailing by one with 5:26 to go, the Bulldogs outscored the Aggies, 14-4, the rest of the way. The first ever win for LA Tech at NM State (was previously 0-10) marked the 20th win of the season, a feat reached by LA Tech in 10 of the last 12 seasons. • LA Tech held New Mexico State to 38.8 percent shooting, the 18th time this season holding an opponent to under 40 percent which is the most in the country. The Bulldogs rank seventh in field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just 38.9 percent. It was also the eighth time holding a CUSA opponent under 60 points (out of 13 games). The ‘Dogs have done so 14 times total this season which is tied for the third most in college basketball. LA Tech’s scoring defense of 63.2 points per game allowed currently ranks 10th in the nation.
• LA Tech outrebounded New Mexico State, 35-22, marking the 21st time this season they have outrebounded its opponent. They currently rank top 50 in the country in rebounds per JANUARY game (38.93) and rebounding margin (6.4). 3 DALLAS CHRISTIAN 6 at Sam Houston* 11 at Middle Tennessee* 14 LIBERTY* 20 at Jacksonville State* 25 UTEP* 27 NEW MEXICO STATE*
ESPN+ ESPN+ CBS SN ESPN2 ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+
W L W W W W W
96-55 77-81 60-52 80-76OT 74-57 68-54 73-53
1 at FIU* 7 WKU* 10 at Liberty* 15 JACKSONVILLE STATE* 17 FIU* 22 at UTEP* 24 at New Mexico State* 28 at WKU*
ESPN+ W ESPN+ L ESPNU L ESPN+ W ESPN+ W ESPN+ W ESPN+ W ESPN+
93-53 76-81 62-65 63-58 75-68 65-59 67-58 7 p.m.
7 SAM HOUSTON* 9 MIDDLE TENNESSEE* 12 CUSA Championship$
CBS SN ESPN+ -----
8 p.m. 2 p.m. TBA
• Isaiah Crawford earned his first ever CUSA Player of the Week honor after averaging 19.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks in the road sweep of UTEP and NM State. He is coming off a 20-point, 10-rebound performance versus the Aggies, his third double-double of the season.
• Despite only making one three-pointer, Tahlik Chavez still managed to tally 16 points at NM State. He is scored in double figures in 10 of the 12 CUSA games played, averaging 16.3 points per game during conference action which ranks fifth. He is still shooting a CUSA-best FEBRUARY 41.6 percent from three which ranks 16th in the country (44.7 percent during league play). • Big man Daniel Batcho and point guard Sean Newman Jr. continued to make their presence felt, scoring 13 and 10 points, respectively, at NM State. Batcho continues to pace CUSA in field goal percentage (57.5), rebounds per game (10.1), and blocks per game (2.3) -- ranks top 15 in the country in rebounds and blocks per contest. Newman Jr. is now averaging 5.1 assists per game, tops in CUSA and 42nd in the country.
• Isaiah Crawford tallied three blocks at NM State, giving him 50 for the season (18th Bulldog in program history with 50+ in a single season). He now has 50 blocks and 60 steals, becoming just the second LA Tech in program history (Paul Millsap, 2005-06) and just the MARCH third player in CUSA history with 50+ blocks and 60+ steals in a single season.
All home games CAPS | All times CST and subject to change * Conference USA game ^ LA Tech MTE $ Huntsville, Ala.
A LA TECH WIN... • Would give the Bulldogs their fifth straight victory, marking the third time this season LA Tech strung together at least five wins. • Would give the Bulldogs just their second win over the Hilltoppers in Bowling Green as CUSA opponents. LA Tech is 1-6 in such games (lone win came in 2021). • Would give the Bulldogs their sixth CUSA road win, improving to 6-2. It would be the best conference winning percentage at LA Tech since 2012-13 when they went 7-2 in the WAC.
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