Nov. 23, 2009
JONESBORO, Ark. - Louisiana Tech will meet an old friend Tuesday night when the Lady Techsters face Arkansas State at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
The game can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network which includes ESPN 97.7 FM (Ruston), KBYO 92.7 FM (Monroe/West Monroe/Farmerville) and KVCL 92.1 FM (Winnfield). The pregame show will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Tech Associate AD Malcolm Butler providing the play-by-play coverage for the game.
LA Tech (2-0) and Arkansas State (2-3) were both members of the same league for 14 years, starting with a four-year stint in the American South Conference (1987-1991) and then a 10-year membership in the Sun Belt Conference (1991-2001) before the Lady Techsters moved on to the Western Athletic Conference.
The two programs have met a total of 35 times over the years with LA Tech owning a 33-2 series advantage, including a current streak of 25 straight wins over the Red Wolves. However, both of Arkansas State's wins in the series came in Jonesboro back in the 1990s.
This year's version of the meeting will pit a LA Tech team that has dismantled its first two opponents, beating Centenary and Nicholls State by more than 40 points while shooting better than 56 percent from the field in both games.
Tech enters the game with five players averaging double figures, including junior forward Adrienne Johnson (23.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg), junior guard Brietta Thomas (17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg), junior guard Whitney Jones (15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg), senior forward Shanavia Dowdell (11.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and junior guard Tarkeisha Wysinger (12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg).
Arkansas State has played a tough non-conference schedule thus far this year, which includes an overtime win at Kansas State (80-79) and losses at Creighton (77-54), against Virginia Commonwealth (72-43) and at Seton Hall (76-52) The Red Wolves other win came in their only home game of the year against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (72-58).
Sophomore guard Shania Hurst leads Arkansas State, averaging 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while backcourt teammate Ebonie Jefferson is the only other Red Wolf averaging in double figures at 14.0 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.
Through five games, Arkansas State is only shooting 32 percent from the field and 21 percent from the three-point line.
