Boxscore

It didn't come easy, but Louisiana Tech made crucial plays when it needed them most as the Bulldogs squeaked by Tulane 69-66 in the consolation game of the LSU Louisiana-Classic at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Tech (1-1) led by as many as 11 points in the game and nine in the second half, but a feisty Green Wave (0-2) squad refused to back down and made it a wild finish after tying the game at 64-64 with 3:53 remaining.

"The tough part of this game and this tournament, as good as the tournament is, was that somebody was going to have to come out of here 0-2 and have played some good minutes of basketball," Tech coach Keith Richard said. "We didn't want it to be us and Tulane didn't want it to be them. Fortunately, we found a way to win it."

Tech took a 66-64 advantage with 3:22 remaining, but it was a play by Corey Dean and Paul Millsap that probably proved biggest for the Bulldogs.

Dean fell on a loose ball with a little over a minute remaining, and while surrounded by several Green Wave players found an open Millsap and dished the ball off for a good layup that gave Tech a 68-64 mark with 1:10 left in the contest.

"I was just thinking that we weren't going to go 0-2," Dean said. "I was fighting for the ball and I all saw was feet around me. I had to get it out quick and out of the corner of my eye I was Paul flashing by and dumped it to him."

But that didn't close things out as Tech had to sweat out the final minute of play.

The Bulldogs missed four three throws in the final 12 seconds before Donell Allick hit the second shot of his two attempts from the free-throw line with two seconds remaining to put Tech up by three points.

Tulane's last ditch long-range attempt fell short as the Bulldogs escaped with the win.

"There was a lot of pressure on both teams for this game," Richard said. "Somebody was going to leave here 0-2. The later the game got, the more and more pressure built up. We found a way to win it at the end despite the missed free throws and turnovers."

Tech hit on only 5-of-12 free throws (35.7 percent) while turning the ball over 15 times in the game, with 10 of those coming in the second half.

Millsap turned in another outstanding effort, pouring in 25 points and 14 rebounds for the second consecutive game. The sophomore forward also had four blocked shots to move into sixth place in Tech career blocks with 56.

"This game was very important and we knew we had to do everything we could to get the win," Millsap said. "No one wants to start a season at 0-2."

Tech led 35-28 at the half and hit on 50.8 percent (31-61) of its shots from the floor while Tulane hit on 53.1 percent (26-49) of its field goal attempts.

But it was on the boards where the Bulldogs grabbed the win as Tech pulled down 27 rebounds, 19 offensive, while holding Tulane to 22.

Allick hit for 14 points, Dean added 12 and Wayne Powell chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs.

Tech's other starter, point guard Daevon Haskins, added six points while dishing off five assists.

Tulane was led by forward Quincy Davis, who scored 19 points while adding seven rebounds. Taylor Rochestie chipped in with 13 points for Tulane while teammate Vincent Camper turned in 10.

Louisiana Tech returns to action next Saturday as the Bulldogs play a 1 p.m. contest at Auburn.