Nov. 12, 2010
RUSTON, La. -
Game Notes 
| Gameday Live
Louisiana Tech's men's basketball team opens its home schedule on Saturday at 8 p.m. against Austin College.
The Bulldogs are 0-1 after an 89-58 loss at No. 25 Texas on Wednesday. Sophomore Brandon Gibson led Tech with a career-high 16 points in his first game in over a year as he took a medical redshirt all of last season. Junior Olu Ashaolu recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
With nine newcomers this season, two stoodout statistically on Wednesday as freshmen Kenyon McNeaill and James Johnson each were 3-of-5 shooting from the field. McNeaill scored nine points in 12 minutes of play while Johnson scored six points, six rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes of action.
Saturday's game will be the first for Austin College, an NCAA Division III school from Sherman, Texas. They finished last season with a record of 20-7 and entered the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference as the No. 1 seed, but were eliminated in the semifinals. Despite a stellar record, the Kangaroos were snubbed of an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Eight letterwinners including all five starters are gone from that team as fourth-year head coach Rodney Wecker welcomes 12 newcomers to this year's squad.
This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Saturday's men's basketball game follows the Lady Techsters' season opener against Prairie View A&M at 6 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on 99.3 KPCH. Log on to LATechSports.com and the Gameday Live page for all the latest news, game notes, and statistics as well as gametracker for every game. A live audio and video stream is available with a paid subscription to LATech All-Access.
Rake Leaves the Program, Gjuroski to Redshirt
Head coach Kerry Rupp announced that sophomore guard Justin Rake has chosen to leave the team. He grabbed a rebound and was 0-for-2 in four minutes of play in Wednesday's game at Texas. The Chicago, Ill. native appeared in 13 games last season and was 5-of-12 from the field including 3-of-8 from three-point range.
"We want to thank Justin for his hard work and wish him the very best of luck," Rupp said. "He is looking for a situation where he can be more of a contributor and earn more playing time. Justin is a young man that will do everything you ask of him to do. We look forward to helping him out in his future basketball and education endeavors."
It was also announced that freshman forward Stojan Gjuroski will redshirt the 2010-11 season. Gjuroski scored two points in 10 minutes of play in the Bulldogs exhibition game against Champion Baptist.
Bulldog Scoop
Just like last season, Louisiana Tech men's basketball fans will get a chance to enhance their gameday experience with Bulldog Scoop. LA Tech director of basketball operations Cody Fueger will conduct a preview of that day's opponent 30 minutes before every home game in the Waggoner Room located on the lower level of the Thomas Assembly Center. It is open to anyone and is free to attend with paid admission to the game.
