Boxscore

RUSTON, La. ? Louisiana Tech got a career-high 21 points from sophomore Kyle Gibson and had an open look at a game-tying 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds, but the Bulldogs fell just short in a 59-54 loss to Southeast Missouri State before 1,454 fans at the Thomas Assembly Center on Wednesday night.

?At the end of the day, you want to be competitive,? Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. ?You want to put yourself in a position to win the ballgame. We?ve got to get better in regards to making them take some tough shots in the paint. I thought we were aggressive tonight. The first half we did a great job controlling the tempo, while they made good adjustments in the second half. Our execution at times was very strong, but there were things we need to do to get better.?

The Redhawks, which trailed by one at the half, shot a blistering 57.1 percent in the second half and made crucial free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Tech got a pair of free throws from Gibson to open the second half and a layup off a turnover from Dwayne Lathan to open up a five-point lead with 19:30 to play. Southeast would then go on a 12-0 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to take their largest lead of the night at 36-29. The Bulldogs would keep chipping away and pulled within three on a Gibson jumper with 1:22 to play.

A pair of missed jumpers at the other end gave Tech an opportunity to tie in the closing seconds, but Gibson missed from the corner, SEMO?s Roderick Pearson pulled down the rebound, and Pearson ? an 80-percent free throw shooter ? knocked down both attempts to seal the Redhawk victory.

Gibson?s 21 points and seven rebounds led the Bulldogs in both categories. Jonathan ?JC? Clark added 10 points for Tech. Freshman guard Dwayne Lathan, making his first career start, scored nine points in a career-high 29 minutes.

Southeast got 29 points off its bench, including 17 from Oklahoma transfer Brandon Foust and 12 from junior forward Jaycen Herring.

Tech outrebounded the Redhawks for the game, 32-27, but shot a dismal 15 percent from 3-point range (3-of-20) and missed numerous open layups in the first half. The Bulldogs did, however, shoot 87.5 percent at the free-throw stripe.

The Bulldogs will hit have a week off before taking the floor again on Dec. 5 when they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Coach Bob Knight and his Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena.