BoxscoreRUSTON, La. ? Louisiana Tech got double-digit scoring from four different players and held on to a double-digit halftime lead en route to a 73-63 victory over McNeese State on Saturday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center.
?This was a good win for us tonight,? Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. ?It?s good to end the preseason on a high note and move in the right direction. We want to give a good effort and enthusiasm and compete the entire time.?
Tech (3-9) shot 48.8 percent for the game, including a 7-of-12 outing from 3-point range (58.3 percent). It was the 10th win for the Bulldogs in their last 11 meetings with the Cowboys (6-6).
The Cowboys were dominant on the boards with a 40-25 edge, but the Bulldogs won the turnover battle as they only had eight in the contest. Tech also took care of business at the free throw stripe, knocking down 24 of 33 attempts, season highs in both categories.
Dwayne Lathan led all scorers with a career-high 19 points in just 19 minutes off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.
Kyle Gibson pitched in 18 on 5-of-6 shooting, including a 3-for-4 night from 3-point range.
?Dwayne has stayed positive all season long,? Rupp said. ?He puts in the extra time and effort and does not give up. He?s a tremendous athlete. It all boils down to competing and giving good energy, and he did those things tonight.?
Keith Smith equaled a career high with 15 points in 29 minutes and set a new career mark with a team-best eight rebounds. Jonathan ?J.C.? Clark added 10 points for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, but went cold over the next five minutes as McNeese went on a 15-0 run to take a 17-10 lead. Tech, however, would turn the tables with a 15-2 run of their own over the final 6:34 to end the half with a 33-22 lead.
?We did a great job with penetration and got some good looks tonight,? Rupp said. ?We?ve been working on getting good shots in the paint and finishing. I was proud of our effort and competitiveness tonight.?
Tech turned the ball over three straight trips down the floor to begin the second half, allowing the Cowboys to cut the lead to seven. But McNeese would get no closer the rest of the way as the Bulldogs did not have a turnover in the final 18:30 of the contest.
Jarvis Bradley led the Cowboys with 16 points and 11 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. John Ford and Ruston native Adrien Garr added 11 apiece.
The Bulldogs have concluded non-conference play and will open the Western Athletic Conference schedule next Thursday, Jan. 3, as Fresno State comes to Ruston. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center. The broadcast can be heard on ESPN 97.7 FM or on the web at www.espn977.com. Live video streaming is also available by logging onto www.latechtv.com.
