By Kane McGuire, Louisiana Tech Associate Athletic Director/Strategic Communications; featured photo by Darrell James
RUSTON — Louisiana Tech picked up its fourth straight win on Tuesday night, leading wire-to-wire for an 89-60 victory over Southeastern inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
LA Tech (9-2) was dominant for 40 minutes. On offense, they drained a season-high 14 three-pointers led by Tahlik Chavez who continued to stay hot by knocking down six triples in route to a game-high 22 points. And on defense, they held their eighth opponent of the season to under 38 percent shooting.
The Bulldogs jumped all over the Lions, starting the game on an 8-0 run, including threes by Chavez and Isaiah Crawford, which quickly forced a timeout by SLU (2-8).
The Lions tried to hang around, keeping their deficit in the single digits at 24-15 after a three-point play by Avery Wilson with 9:30 to go in the first half. However, back-to-back threes by Chavez and Devin Ree made a double-digit advantage again for LA Tech, something that would stay that way for the remainder.
Crawford drained his third three-pointer of the night, this one from the logo with 27 seconds left, to give the ‘Dogs a 44-27 edge at halftime. And the home team kept their foot on the gas in the second half with Chavez hitting three more triples in the first five minutes of the stanza.
LA Tech shot 46.3 percent from the field (31-67), 53.8 percent from beyond the arc (14-26), and 72.2 percent from the foul line (13-18). Crawford tallied 14 points to go along with seven boards, four assists, four steals, and two blocks. Tyler Henry was the third Bulldog in double figures with 11 points.
Dravon Mangum flirted with a double-double with nine points and eight boards while Daniel Batcho added nine points and six boards of his own. Also getting in on the action was Sean Newman Jr., making his return to the court after missing three games due to an ankle injury, scoring eight points plus five assists.
SLU shot 37.7 percent from the field (23-61), getting a team-high 16 points from Alec Woodard and 13 points from Nick Caldwell.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
Opening statement …
“The emphasis was on our defense and playing for 40 minutes. We have had an issue coming out slow in the second half, letting teams eliminate leads on us. Another thing was not closing out games the right way, missing free throws, taking errant shots that we should not take. I thought we did everything right tonight. There were times that Southeastern hit some shots, but this is Division I basketball, you are not going to hold a team to nothing. They are a good team.”
On having Sean Newman Jr. back …
“The ball movement was great. He is so steady and so solid. At the end of the day, he made the right decisions. He makes us a better basketball team.”
On the buy-in on defense …
“When you do things the right way and the wins start stacking up, the team starts believing not in the system but in themselves. That is what is happening now. They are excited about being one of the best defensive teams. They are excited about the wins that come with it. We have a heck of a team.”
On the three-point shooting …
“I knew Tahlik would start making them. You cannot keep a shooter like him from making shots. We have good shooters. We just got open shots tonight. A lot of them were in transition, a lot were when we got paint touches and moved the ball. The testament of our three-point shooting was our ball movement. We made the next right pass.”
On being undefeated at home …
“You have to win home games. If you do not win home games, you are not going to give yourself a chance. It is so hard to win on the road. Champions win on the road.”
On how well-rounded the team is …
“The strength of our team is our team. Our depth has helped us. When Sean was out, we did not lose a beat. When Tyler was out, we did not lose a beat. We can come at you in a lot of ways. The guys are bought in and they believe what we are doing.”
On being back on the court …
“It felt great. Blessed to be back out on the floor. I was itching to get back out there. Our athletic trainers, our coaching staff, they instilled the confidence in me. And my teammates who believe and trust in me. The game definitely looks slower when you are watching from the sidelines. You are seeing the things coaches are saying in practice. There were a number of things I learned while watching.”
On Tahlik Chavez …
“I am happy for him. He puts in the work. I am there when he is struggling and when he is hot.”
On the defensive identity of the team …
“You just have to buy in. If you want to win a championship, we have to buy in to what the coaches are saying.”
On the team continuing to win in your absence …
“I am very proud. They played some really tough opponents. First a Nicholls team that beat LSU at LSU. Then SFA who was a super tough team. And then Lafayette, rival. I am super proud of the team for holding it down.”