Boxscore

RUSTON -- Southern Illinois? (5-1) defense proved too much for Louisiana Tech (1-4) to overcome Wednesday night as the Salukis bested the Bulldogs 50-36 in the Thomas Assembly Center in front of 1,813 fans.

?This team is a work in progress,? Tech head coach Keith Richard said. ?I think we have some seniors that looked like fish out of water in half-court offense, and some of our younger guys stepped up tonight in the second half. We need these seniors to play well. I want to help them. We?re going to find out what we need to do to make them better.?

The Salukis jumped to an early lead and defensively held the Bulldogs to only six points with 6:00 on the clock in the first half. Southern Illinois led 28-12 at halftime.

It was a tale of two halves offensively for the Bulldogs as Tech did outscore the Salukis 24-22 in the second half, but it would not prove enough to win the ballgame.

?I am encouraged that our offense played better in the second half,? Richard said. ?It looked a little better. I think we have to get some of these seniors figured out. We looked like a basketball team in the last five minutes.?

Freshman Kyle Gibson led the Bulldogs in scoring with 13 points, while senior Marcus Elliot finished with 11. Junior Matt Shaw led the Salukis with 15 points, and junior Randal Falker totaled 12. Senior Jamaal Tatum came into Ruston averaging 15.5 points per game but was held to only six on the night.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday night in Lafayette, La., where Tech will face off with in-state rival UL-Lafayette in the Cajun Dome. Tip off is set for 8:30 p.m.