RUSTON ? Louisiana Tech will play a rare weekday afternoon contest when the Lady Techsters host McNeese State at 1 p.m. Monday in the Thomas Assembly Center.
Tech (5-7) will try to build on the momentum from its 93-58 win at Sam Houston State Saturday as the Lady Techsters play their final non-conference game of the season. Tech opens Western Athletic Conference play Thursday at Fresno State.
Lady Techster head coach Chris Long said he wants to see his team take another step forward and knows that McNeese State (2-11) will bring plenty of effort and intensity into the game.
?It?s important that we build on the win,? Long said. ?McNeese State is a team that plays very hard. Offensively, they like to spread you out and beat you off the dribble. That?s an area we?ve had trouble with this year. We will have to play great team defense.?
After suffering through a five-game losing streak that saw Tech average just over 54.0 points a game, the Lady Techsters came out of the Christmas break strong, shooting over 55 percent and scoring a season high 93 points in the win over the Bearkats.
Senior forward Jo Sneed leads Tech in both scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg) and has recorded eight double doubles on the year while scoring in double figures in all 12 games.
Sophomore
Shanavia Dowdell ranks behind Sneed in both categories, averaging 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds a game while also registering four double doubles.
On the perimeter, freshman guard
Tarkeisha Wysinger has been a spark for Tech since entering the starting lineup three games ago. Wysinger, who scored a career-high 24 points in the win over Sam Houston State, is Tech?s top defender as well.
McNeese State has dropped three straight games since posting wins over Centenary and Texas Southern. The Cowgirls have three common opponents with Tech, falling to Southern Miss (94-52), UL-Monroe (77-40) and Mississippi State (94-52) this year.
Courtnee Hollins (11.8 ppg) is the lone McNeese State player averaging double figures although the Cowgirls boast four other players averaging 7.5 points or more.
As a team, McNeese State has attempted 296 three-pointers on the season, something that Long has addressed with his team.
?They like to penetrate and kick it out for a three,? Long said. ?They have three players who have each shot over 70 three-pointers already this year. It?s important that we win the individual matchups so we don?t have to provide a lot of help.?
Tech leads the all-time series against McNeese State 15-4, including having won 11 straight meetings between the two programs.
The contest can be heard on ESPN 97.7 FM with the pre-game show beginning at 12:30 p.m.
What: McNeese State (2-11) at Louisiana Tech (5-7)
When: Monday at 1 p.m.
Where: Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston
Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM
Internet Audio: www.espn977fm.com
Internet Video: www.latechtv.com
