Dec. 6, 2008
Box Score
RUSTON -- The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-4) took the early lead Saturday night and never relinquished and bested in-parish foe Grambling State (2-5) 77-47 in the Thomas Assembly Center in front of 4380 fans.
"We wanted to play well on offense, block out well, push the ball and we wanted to play inside and out," Louisiana Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "In the first half, we wanted to get the ball inside and cut a little harder, which is one thing we need to improve on. In the past few days, we have made tremendous strides, but we still have a long way to go."
Tech blasted through the first half to outscore the Tigers 42-19 in the first half of play thanks to the scoring of redshirt freshman Olu Ashaolu's 11 first-half points and junior Kenneth Cooper's 10.
It would not change in the second half, either, as the Bulldogs still manage to outscore Grambling State 35-28 for the final stanza to win 77-47.
"After the first game, we wanted to really emphasize how to play better offensively," Rupp said. "They beat us up on the boards in the first game and that was something we needed to improve on. They are great athletes and very good rebounders."
Cooper led the Bulldogs with 14 points for the night on 6-of-12 shooting with six rebounds. Ashaolu finished the night with 13 points, while junior Magnum Rolle totaled 12 points with six boards. Rolle was perfect from the field and the free throw line.
The Bulldogs finished the night shooting 49.2 percent from the floor compared to GSU's 34 percent. The Bulldogs also out-rebounded the Tigers 47 to 29.
"Our guard play has improved, but we need to take better care of the basketball," Rupp said. "We also have begun to execute on offense, but we cannot be careless. We need to continue to understand the concept of cutting hard and setting screens. We want to continue to working the ball inside. But we need to understand who is screening and get there. We need to be a fast break team and excel in rebounding to win."
The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, Dec. 10, to take on UL-Monroe in the Thomas Assembly Center at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN 97.7 FM locally with a live audio feed at www.espn977.com.
The game can also be seen over the Internet for $4.99 by logging onto www.latechtv.com and clicking on the athletics link on the top right portion of the page. Fans can order the game starting one hour prior to tipoff.
