By Kane McGuire, Louisiana Tech Associate Director/Strategic Communications
RUSTON— TAC protected.
After trailing for much of the game, Louisiana Tech ended up forcing overtime and then gutted out an 80-76 victory over Liberty on Sunday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
LA Tech (12-6, 2-1 CUSA) trailed by as much as 10 points in the first half and was ultimately down seven, 30-37, at halftime as Liberty (11-7, 0-3 CUSA) was clicking offensively with seven three-pointers, their specialty.
After the Flames shot 51.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep through the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs flexed their defensive muscle the rest of the game, holding the visitors to just 35.5 percent shooting and only three triples in the last 25 minutes.
Even still, LA Tech struggled to retake the lead, one that they last held when it was just 8-7. The Bulldogs got to within one possession on numerous occasions, but the Flames had an answer almost every time.
That was until Tahlik Chavez hit a three-pointer of his own to give the ‘Dogs a 58-57 edge with 6:52 to go in the game. The lead was short-lived though as the Flames turned forced turnovers into free throws, rebuilding a 5-point advantage with under four minutes remaining.
LA Tech clawed back again, retaking the lead on a Daniel Batcho putback to go back up, 69-68, with 1:41 left. That would be the last field goal attempt in regulation for the Bulldogs, committing two crucial turnovers. No matter as the defense stood tall with the Flames only getting one free throw by Zach Cleveland, who also missed on a game-winning jumper that was highly contested by Isaiah Crawford.
Crawford was a huge reason why the ‘Dogs were able to make the second-half comeback. After going just 3-of-10 from the field in the first half, he made six of his seven shot attempts in the second stanza. Oh, and he also swatted away seven basketballs.
LA Tech would have to pull off the win without Crawford though as the forward fouled out just 49 seconds into overtime. After the Flames knocked down two free throws to open up the extra period, the ‘Dogs went on a 6-0 run in OT with another big putback by Batcho and then back-to-back driving layups by Sean Newman Jr.
Liberty, now facing its largest deficit of the game at 75-71, got three straight points to slice it down to one. However, with one minute remaining Chavez rose up and delivered a clutch three with one minute on the clock. The Flames’ Cleveland followed with a layup in the paint, but two pure free throws by Newman Jr. and two more defensive stops sealed the win for LA Tech.
The Bulldogs shot 46.6 percent from the field for the game (shot 54.8 percent in second half/overtime). Helping Crawford with the offensive explosion was fellow front court teammate Batcho who finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Meanwhile, the back court of Chavez and Newman Jr. tallied 19 and 14 points, respectively.
The Flames were led by Kyle Rode who had 20 points, followed by Cleveland who posted 18.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
On the atmosphere …
“Before the game I did not think anything of it but it sure helped down the stretch. Our fans were behind us, stop or no stop. It gave us live. That is what home court advantage is all about. I would challenge our fans to keep coming out, keep fighting for this team.”
On protecting home court …
“Home teams are just winning games. It is going to come down to whoever can protect their home court and then try to go steal a few on the road. I think there are a lot of good teams in this league.”
On guarding the three after halftime …
“I thought Liberty’s movement hurt us in the first half. You cannot simulate them in practice. We did not feel their pace on their screens and cuts, but I thought we settled down. Daniel Batcho did a great job in the second half of guarding on the perimeter which allowed us not to help as much.”
On Sean Newman Jr. …
“Sean was worried about missing the shots, but Batcho said if you missed I’ll get the rebound. Sean did not hesitate. In overtime, he played his heart out. We have had trouble closing out games, making free throws late. We made free throws and got stops and that is a recipe for a win.”
On Isaiah Crawford …
“I can probably remember only one game in his career where Isaiah came out on fire. I know he is going to show up though. At some point in the game, he is going to be Isaiah Crawford. He had seven blocks today. Even fouling out, some people may have counted us out but our team did not. We knew we could come together and get the win.”
Guard Tahlik Chavez
On the gritty win …
“I feel like we showed true grit. We have been grinding in practice. Ever since that Sam Houston loss, we have had a chip on our shoulder.”
On his shooting ability …
“I have been staying in the gym. When I have that confidence in myself, I know I can hit tough shots. That is what I am here to do.
On what Sean Newman Jr. showed in overtime …
“He showed that he is being a true leader. He is doing a great job of holding us together, holding us accountable.”
Guard Sean Newman Jr. …
On what it took to win …
“It took everything. Going into overtime forces you to dig deeper. It is something we prepare for in practice. Our coaches do a great job of pushing us. It is games like this that we are glad our coaches push us so hard in practice.”
On overcoming the turnover late in the second half …
“I was down but everybody was picking my head up. That gave me confidence knowing that everybody on the team believed in me. Going into overtime, I was driving looking to be more aggressive.”
On the relationship with Daniel Batcho …
“We are super close. Before I even got to Ruston, I was checking on him every day making sure he was good. We are family.”