Boxscore

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Amisha Carter scored a career-high 22 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 12 ranked Louisiana Tech downed Stephen F. Austin 109-60 Friday night at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.

Head coach Kurt Budke's squad used a dominating defensive performance and its superior quickness to place a stranglehold on Stephen F. Austin.

"I really can't think of a phase that I didn't like," Budke said. "We came out ready to play. After the last exhibition game, I wasn't very happy. The players really responded."

Carter scored eight of her game-high total during a 19-0 run that saw Louisiana Tech take an early 5-3 deficit and turn it into a 22-5 lead at the midway mark of the opening 20 minutes.

Any chance of a Ladyjack comeback was quickly ended as Erica Smith-Taylor and Lakiste Barkus combined for a trio of three-pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor to open the lead to 38-12 with 7:09 remaining in the half.

Smith-Taylor ended the night with 16 points while Barkus, making her Techster debut, lived up to billing, scoring 13 points, grabbing five rebounds and recording four assists in 21 minutes of action.

Amber Obaze added 13 points while Toya George added 10 in the victory. The Techsters, which shot 57 percent (39-68) for the game and 56 percent (9-16) from the three-point line, dominated despite the absence of senior forward Trina Frierson, the preseason 2003 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year

"What you saw you will hopefully see all year," Budke said. "We will be tough to guard because we have a lot of weapons. This team won't depend on one person."

Defensively, Tech held SFA to only 24 percent (7-29) shooting and forced 14 turnovers in a first half that saw the Lady Techsters take a 56-20 lead into the halftime locker room.

Tech improves to 26-4 all-time in season openers, including six straight wins, and the 109 points were the most scored since the Lady Techsters defeated UL-Lafayette 114-69 during the 1999-2000 season.

The Lady Techsters return to action Monday when they travel to Illinois to face the Fighting Illini.