Nov. 10, 2010
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AUSTIN, Texas - A young Louisiana Tech men's basketball squad experienced some growing pains on Wednesday in its season opener as it fell to No. 25 Texas 89-58 at the Erwin Center.
The Bulldogs dropped to 0-1 on the season while the Longhorns improved to 2-0 as the game was a part of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
"I saw some good things, but we have a long ways to go," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "This was an eye opener as our young guys got to see how physical the game was."
Junior forward Olu Ashaolu recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting from the field before fouling out late in the second half. Sophomore guard Brandon Gibson scored a team-high 16 points in his first game after taking a medical redshirt last season.
Freshmen Kenyon McNeaill and James Johnson made the most of their minutes of the bench as Johnson scored six points and grabbed six rebounds and McNeaill scored nine points including a three-pointer. The three was one of just three three-pointers for Tech as they were 3-14 (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc. Despite the production from McNeaill and Johnson, Tech's bench was outscored 37-18.
"We've got to have some of these young guys step up and score off the bench," Rupp said. "I thought Texas had terrific bench play and had intensity. We have to do those same types of things."
With so many new faces on this year's squad, Tech seemed to have trouble finding chemistry on the court. The Bulldogs shot just 32.8 percent from the field and committed 22 turnovers which led to 26 points UT points.
Ashaolu scored the Bulldog's first points of the season as Tech grabbed a quick 2-0 lead. Tech played even with the Longhorns for the first nine minutes of the half as the score was tied 10-10 with 11:48 to play. However, the Bulldogs were hampered by 29 percent shooting from the field in the first half and went into halftime down 39-24.
In the second half, DeAndre Brown hit a layup at the 17:28 mark, to break a field goal drought of nearly nine minutes. Trailing 59-36 with 13 minutes remaining, Tech went on a 6-0 run to get within 17 points (59-42). However, the Longhorns were too much to handle as they cruised to the 31-point win.
It was Tech's biggest loss since a 31-point defeat at New Mexico on Nov. 21 last season.
Jordan Hamilton led three Longhorns in double figures with 19 points. Texas shot 45.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range.
The Bulldogs return to Ruston for their home opener on Saturday against Austin College at 8 p.m.
