By Kane McGuire, Louisiana Tech Associate Athletic Director/Strategic Communications and Digital Marketing; featured photo by Kane McGuire
RENO, Nev. — Louisiana Tech struggled to find its rhythm offensively while Nevada’s rebounding made the difference as the Bulldogs dropped their season opener, 77-50, on Tuesday night inside Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada (1-0) used a 45-26 advantage on the glass and turned 17 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points to steadily build their lead over the course of the contest. Meanwhile, LA Tech could not get much going from the perimeter, finishing just 3-of-22 from beyond the arc.
The Wolf Pack used a pair of big runs – 12-1 and 11-0 – to take a 34-18 halftime lead. It was not until about nine minutes left in the second stanza that the Bulldogs started to find their way on the offensive end.
Back-to-back three-pointers by AJ Bates and Scooter Williams and back-to-back buckets at the rim by Kaden Cooper were all part of a 12-2 run by LA Tech. However, any hope of a comeback was doused as Nevada’s Chuck Bailey III countered with a pair of threes to seal the game for the home team.
Bates, Kylan Howze, and DJ Dudley each finished with nine points to pace the Bulldogs, who shot just 36 percent overall.
Bailey III led all scorers with 24 points for Nevada, which outscored the Bulldogs 43-32 in the second half.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
“You could tell we had a lot of guys who did not understand how hard the road is at this level. We started to play somewhat decent in the second half, then we made some subs, and the energy went back to where it was before. We are going to lift it up in practice and go even harder. Road games are hard. We must pick it up so we can prepare for our next game.”
UP NEXT
LA Tech will host Lyon College on Sunday, Nov. 9 for its home opener inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.