Dec. 9, 2008

Box Score

RUSTON -- Shanavia Dowdell returned to the court Tuesday night and led Louisiana Tech to a 75-46 win over Grambling State at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Dowdell, who missed the last game due to a concussion, proved unstoppable hitting 12-of-16 field goals while scoring 29 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking six shots in the victory.

"It was great to see Shanavia back out on the court," said Tech head coach Chris Long. "I didn't realize she had scored 29 points, but what a return for her. She showed why she is so crucial to our team's success.

"We didn't do a great job of finding her in the first half, but once we settled down and got the basketball inside, Grambling had a hard time stopping her."

Tech (4-4) jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead before Grambling State called a timeout with 17:21 to play as Lady Tigers coach Donnita Drain settled her team down. The Lady Tigers (1-5) responded by using a 10-1 run to tie the game at 10-10 as Tech committed five straight turnovers during the stretch.

"I was disappointed in our focus," Long said. "I didn't think we came out with the same focus we had (in our win over Arizona) Saturday. I give Grambling a lot of credit; those kids played hard all night. However, we were just too sloppy, especially in the first 24 or 25 minutes of this game."

Despite Tech's turnover issues, the Lady Techsters led 37-26 at the half thanks in large part to shooting 56 percent (14-25) from the field behind Dowdell's 12 first half points and Whitney Jones' 11.

The game remained somewhat tight early in the second half before Dowdell began to take over the contest, scoring 17 of 22 points during one 10-minute stretch in the second half.

"It felt good to get back out on the court," Dowdell said. "I could tell I was a little winded early but once I got my second wind, I felt good. My teammates did a good job of getting me the basketball tonight."

Tech shot a season-high 51 percent (28-55) from the field while holding Grambling State to only 29 percent (18-63). The Lady Techsters committed 22 turnovers, although only four in the final 16 minutes of the game.

In addition to Dowdell's big offensive night, Jones added 13 points and seven assists while Adrienne Johnson chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds.

For the second straight game, junior guard Tiawana Pingle led Tech in rebounding with 10 boards which helped the Lady Techsters outrebound Grambling State 51-32.

Bre'anna Johnson and Jasher Blocker led Grambling State with eight points each.

Tech returns to action Saturday when its hosts Sam Houston State at 7 p.m.