Boxscore Louisiana Tech evened its record with an 83-73 win over Longwood University (0-1) in the John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge in Lincoln, Neb. at the Bob Devaney Center on Friday.
Junior forward
Paul Millsap led all scorers with 27 points and 10 rebounds while connecting on 11 of 15 field goals to push the Bulldogs (1-1) to the 10-point win, and Tech head coach Keith Richard was pleased to get momentum heading into tomorrow?s contest with tournament host Nebraska.
?This was an important win for us because last night was so disappointing,? Richard said. ?We needed that win to move on, and it was good to get that monkey off our backs. The way we won was the most important thing because we attacked the rim so well, which was reflected in the number of free throws we shot.?
After a dismal shooting performance at the free throw line last night, which one could point to as the difference of the game against Yale when Tech made only five of 17 free throws, the Bulldogs took advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe tonight.
Tech hit only seven of 14 free throws in the first half but sank 15 of 19 in the second half for a total of 22 of 33 for the game (78.9 percent).
And as far as attacking the rim, Richard said junior guard
Jerome Richardson was one of the main Bulldogs who attacked the rim so well, as Richard scored Tech?s first six points of the game and finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
?Jerome was real passive in the game last night,? Richard said. ?Tonight he attacked the rim, and that?s what we need from these new guys. We need them to step up and make plays.?
Junior guard
Corey Dean also hit double digits in scoring with 17 points and most impressively hit six of seven free throws, and senior forward
Michael Wilds had a career-high nine points.
Dean made the plays down the stretch against Yale last night to give Tech a chance to win, and it was the Ruston native who sparked the Bulldogs? offense again tonight.
Longwood had tied the game at 41 less than two minutes into the second half before Dean made a lay-up and a free throw to ignite an 8-0 Tech run. The Bulldogs soon built a double-digit lead and went on to take as much as a 17-point advantage on another Dean free throw with 2:42 remaining in the game, and the Lancers never again pulled within 10 points.
Richard played all 12 players at some point tonight, as he said he and his coaching staff are still looking for the best line-up combinations among the deep roster.
?We?re still learning about our team, and our new players are still trying to learn to play at this level,? Richard said. ?Several of our guys played some good minutes tonight, and I thought
Drew Washington played particularly well at point guard. He ran the offense well, didn?t make too many mistakes and was quick to the ball.?
Washington finished with two points and one assist in the game in 11 minutes.
Junior guard
Terry Parker and freshman guard
Mohammed Ibrahim saw their first action at the Division I level. Parker had two points in 15 minutes, and Ibrahim had one assist in two minutes.
The Bulldogs will finish the John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge by playing tournament host Nebraska tomorrow.
The Huskers defeated Longwood last night 80-65 and beat Yale tonight 73-64. It will be the first meeting in history between the two schools, and the Bulldogs hope to start a winning season with a 3:30 p.m. tip-off with the Huskers tomorrow.
The game can be heard on the radio at KXKZ, 107.5 with the "Voice of the Bulldogs,"
Dave Nitz, on the air. The pre-game show will start at 3 p.m.
