Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications
RUSTON — The Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters opened the 50th season with a dominating 93-37 win over LSU-Alexandria inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Monday night.
Louisiana Tech (1-0) came out on fire in the first quarter, connecting on 5-14 from three to jump out to a 28-7 lead and never looked back. The Lady Techsters defense held LSU-Alexandria (1-0) to just 12-48 from the field for the game.
Senior Salma Bates hit four of her career-high six 3s in the first quarter en route to a career-high 18 points. Robyn Lee had a career night as well, with a game-high 21 on 9-12 shooting to go along with six rebounds. Freshman Jianna Morris had an impressive debut in a Techster uniform with six points, six assists, and five rebounds.
On the first possession of the season, Anna Larr Roberson made a turnaround at the post, got fouled, and converted the and-one opportunity. LSU-A tied it up with a three, but five straight points from Autumn Smith would highlight a Lady Techster 9-0 run.
Salma Bates started to heat up from behind the arc just before the first media timeout, connecting on back-to-back threes to extend the Lady Techsters lead to double-digits at 18-7.
After the timeout, both teams struggled to score from the floor, only connecting on six free throws, until Bates connected on two straight threes, including a buzzer-beater to give the Techsters a 28-9 lead after one.
The teams traded points to start the second before a layup by Robyn Lee ignited a 21-2 run to close out the half. The Lady Techsters held the Generals to just 5-24 (20.8%) from the floor while connecting on 19-33 (57.6%) and 10-14 (71.4%) in the second quarter.
The second half started the same way the first half ended. The Techsters pushed their lead to 65-17 with an 11-point run to open the quarter. Tech would go cold the remainder of the quarter, being outscored 8-2.
LSU-A opened the fourth, making four of their first five shots and outscored the Lady Techsters 11-6. A 3 from the wing by Lee sparked a 19-1 run by the Techsters to close the game.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Brooke Stoehr
“Excited to be back on the floor tonight in front of our fans. It was an opportunity for a couple of our players, Jianna Morris and Evie Goetz, to get to put the uniform on for the first time in front of the crowd. Our players were excited, and they were tired of practicing against the same people.”
“For the most part, we shared the ball really well and had good energy about us. We knocked down some shots and moved the ball well offensively. We have Some things to clean up defensively. We will get back and watch the film and address those in practice. Twenty-one assist is something to be excited about.”
NOTABLES
- With the win, LA Tech now leads the series 6-0.
- The Lady Techsters are 38-12 all-time in season openers.
- The win marks the 1,194th in program history.
- Salma Bates finished 6-12 from behind the arc and a career-high 18 points.
- Four different Lady Techsters finished in double figures: Robyn Lee led all scorers with 21, Anna Larr Roberson at 13, and Autumn Smith finished with 13.
- Four Techsters finished with career highs: Bates, Lee, Smith, and Ayen Angoi (5).
UP NEXT
The Lady Techsters host the annual education game on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 11:30 a.m. against Louisiana Christian University inside the Thomas Assembly Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and on the radio on KNBB 97.7 FM.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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