Feb. 19, 2009

Box Score

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech (11-16; 4-9 WAC) took an early lead Thursday night against the Houston Baptist Huskies (3-23) and was not threatened for the remainder of the night as the Bulldogs went on to win by a final score of 84-47.

"We wanted to come out tonight and play hard," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "We also wanted to get everyone involved. It was nice to see everyone contribute, rebound, play and score. Each player gave a good effort. I was very pleased with our win."

It was an offensive explosion capped off by a last-second heave from over 30-feet out by junior Jamel Guyton at the end of the first half to give the Bulldogs a 41-21 lead going into the halftime locker room. Juniors Kyle Gibson and Guyton along with freshman Olu Ashaolu all finished with double-digit scoring at 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the first half alone.

Gibson led all scorers for the night with 21 points, while Guyton finished with 19. Ashaolu finished with his first double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

All 11 Bulldogs saw playing time and also scored for the team.

Houston Baptist was led by Andrew Puzyk with 14 points.

"Our goal was to play well the entire game, and I thought we did just that," Rupp said. "I think we are continuing to get better. Since we are entering the final part of our season, we have to continue to get better individually and collectively."

Tech returns to the road Saturday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. to take on the Murray State Racers in Murray, Ky. The game will be broadcast live on KXKZ 107.5 FM with a live audio feed available at www.z1075fm.com.