Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications
RUSTON — Louisiana Tech rolled to its fifth consecutive win, scoring 62 first-half points in route to a 105-65 pounding of Dillard on Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
There was plenty of offense to go around for LA Tech (5-1) who set a season high with 39 made field goals, 12 of those coming from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Bulldogs pulled down a season-high 45 rebounds and generated a season-tying 15 steals.
It did not take long for LA Tech to jump on Dillard (3-4) as Daniel Batcho scored the first points of a 10-0 run to start the contest. It was not until the 16:41 mark that the Bleu Devils got on the scoreboard.
The three-pointers started to pile on after that. The Bulldogs made eight of them in the span of seven minutes. There were also two different stretches where LA Tech made seven straight and nine straight field goals, building a 51-18 lead after Isaiah Crawfordstole his fourth ball and dunked it in transition with 6:36 to go in the first half.
He made a layup in the paint to give the ‘Dogs 62 points for the first half, the most in a single half in almost 10 years. On the other end, the Bleu Devils managed just 25 first-half points.
The second half was occupied by the bench for the most part, which contributed a total of 67 points on the day. All 14 Bulldogs saw action with 10 of them seeing at least 10 minutes.
Devin Ree provided the most points with a career-high 21. Jaylin Henderson (12) and Jordan Turner (10) also tallied double-digit points off the bench. The other double-figure scorers included Batcho who had 17 points and a career-high 14 boards in just 13 minutes played. Tahlik Chavez was the fifth such Bulldog, tallying 12 points while going a perfect 3-of-3 from long range.
Dillard’s Tory Caro and Justin Warren did the bulk of the scoring for the Bleu Devils, scoring 18 and 12 points, respectively. The visiting team shot just 36.1 percent from the field.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
Opening statement …
“I am really proud of our team. Three wins in five days. I thought we started off on the right foot. We did back our pressure off a little bit, seeing if we could execute some things. We played a deep bench and saw some good things from our guys. I am excited where we are at right now.”
On the team’s growth over this past week …
“More than growth, it has been belief. They are believing in some of the things we have been talking about since July. They believe we can get to where we dream of going. We are growing to know who we are as a team. I think we can build on this and get better.”
On figuring out how to play with Daniel Batcho …
“Defensively, I feel like they have a safety net back there. Offensively, I see our guards understand who we are in helping him out and Isaiah Crawford out. We are figuring out where to get the ball to.”
On the bench …
“I thought our bench was execute offensively. I thought we got a little stagnant in the second half, but sometimes that happens when you get a big lead. We still have to improve defensively off the bench. It is not individually, it is us as a team playing with different lineups. Get a little more cohesive together.”
On the road trip coming up …
“Having road games under our belt helps us. I feel like the Colorado State game helped us in so many ways. It tested us to see where we were at to start the year. I don’t feel like I am going into this road game blind. That game and the game at ULM was a great test for us. Now we are going to take this show on the road.”
NOTABLES
- With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series over Dillard, 1-0. They become the 230th different opponent the Bulldogs have beaten in their history.
- LA Tech improves to 5-1 on the season. They have now won at least five of their first six games for the ninth time in the last 15 seasons.
- The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five games. They have put together at least a five-game winning streak in every season dating back to 2009.
- The Bulldogs put up a season-high 105 points, the most since scoring 108 against Jarvis Christian on Dec. 21, 2022. LA Tech has now scored 100+ points twice, the first time since the 2017-18 season.
- LA Tech tied its season high with 12 made three-pointers and 15 steals. They set season highs in field goals made (39) and total rebounds (45).
- Devin Ree scored a game-high 21 points, becoming the third different Bulldog with a 20+ scoring performance this season.
- Daniel Batcho registered his second double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
- Jaylin Henderson tallied his team-leading fifth double-digit scoring effort of the season with 12 points.
- Jordan Turner tied his career-high with 10 points.
- Tahlik Chavez posted 12 points, going a perfect 3-of-3 from long range. He now has 299 made three-pointers in his collegiate career.
- Sean Newman Jr. recorded a game-high assists. He has dished out at least four assists in all six games this season.
- Isaiah Crawford registered a season-high four steals. It marked the 10th time in his career with at least four steals in a single game. He now has 133 total steals in his career, which is tied for the 14th most all-time. He currently has a streak of nine consecutive games with at least one steal.
UP NEXT
After a three-game home stand, LA Tech hits the road to face New Mexico on Wednesday, Nov. 29 in the Pit. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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