Nov. 6, 2008
Box Score
RUSTON -- Four sophomores scored in double figures led by guard Sidney Stewart's 16 points as Louisiana Tech cruised to an 85-43 win over Talladega College Thursday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Sophomore Tarkeisha Wysinger and junior Shanavia Dowdell each scored 15 points, and sophomores Whitney Jones and Adrienne Johnson each added 11 points as the Lady Techsters built an early lead and never looked back in their second exhibition win of the preseason.
Tech got a balanced scoring attack and built an early 32-7 lead on a jumper by Brietta Thomas at the 8:21 mark of the opening half. However, head coach Chris Long emptied his bench and Talladega College took advantage ending the first half on a 16-4 run to cut the Tech advantage to 36-23 at the half.
"I thought we came out with good intensity," Long said. "I got everyone into the game, and we had a drop off at the end of the half. Even when I went back to the starters, they didn't have the same intensity and we addressed that in the locker room.
"In the second half and really for 32 minutes of this game, I thought we did some very good things both offensively and defensively. We had a clear size advantage, and we were able to get the basketball inside and score. It was good to get everyone some playing time."
Tech shot 52 percent (15-29) from the field in the opening 20 minutes but committed 15 turnovers -- after committing only 12 the entire game in its first exhibition win of the season Sunday.
However, the Lady Techsters came out of the halftime locker room and wasted little time in pushing the advantage out to 30 points at 57-27 on a jumper by Stewart at the 14:45 mark of the game. Stewart hit four three pointers and scored 11 of her points after the break.
"When Sidney gets in a zone and starts to feel it, she is an incredible scorer," Long said. "When she makes one or two, we want to keep going back to her because she can really fill it up."
Talladega College got no closer than 28 points the rest of the game and Tech's 42-point final margin was the biggest of the contest.
In addition to scoring 15 points in the game, Dowdell added 13 rebounds to record a double double. Wysinger added five assists and four steals to her stat line.
"I think we are going to have a balanced scoring team," Long said. "It won't surprise me if we have four or five players scoring at or near double figures this year. I like that kind of team because it is difficult to key on one player."
For the game, Tech shot 52 percent (35-67) while holding Talladega College to only 27 percent (15-55) shooting.
