Nov. 19, 2013
GameDay Central | Game Notes
RUSTON - Louisiana Tech will be away from Ruston for the next two weeks, beginning a five-game road swing on Wednesday night as they travel to take on Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. inside the Farris Center.
A `Welcome Home' banner might as well be displayed for guards Kenyon McNeail and Raheem Appleby. McNeail hails from Conway, home of the UCA campus, and Appleby from nearby Jacksonville.
The two upperclassman will lead LA Tech (1-1) into a return game versus Central Arkansas (1-1) after the Bulldogs and Bears met up on Feb. 18, 2012 in the Sears BracketBuster event.
In that contest in the Thomas Assembly Center, history was made when then-freshman point guard Kenneth Smith set a school record for most assists in a single game with 15. LA Tech overpowered UCA, 84-62.
This time the `Dogs are on the road, hoping to not have a repeat of last season when the team lost two games at Southland opponents (Northwestern State and McNeese State).
"Winning on the road is very difficult, and the Southland Conference has proven to be a tough place to break through," said head coach Michael White. "Our experiences from the last two years remind us of the tremendous challenge that we have, as well as the opportunity.
"To have success at UCA, we'll need to handle their pressure offensively. Defensively, we'll have to defend the three-point line and limit our fouls. The Bears are a very dangerous team because of their ability to shoot the three from several different positions. They are athletic and deep as well."
It could take an all-around effort similar to the dominating win over Centenary. LA Tech had seven players score in double figures, led by Cordarius Johnson who registered his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Alex Hamilton also notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists, marking the first time the program has had two double-doubles in the same game since 2010.
UCA opened the 2013-14 season at home with a 109-59 stomping of cross-town foe Hendrix College of Division III. However, in their first road test of the season, the Bears came up short, 100-93, at SIU-Edwardsville despite having six players score in double figures.
Central Arkansas was picked ninth and 10th in the two Southland Conference preseason polls as the Bears are coming off a 13-17 season, one in which they won seven SLC games, the most since moving to NCAA Division I in 2006-07, and advanced to the SLC Tournament for the first time.
The matchup will be broadcast live on the LA Tech Sports Network on KXKZ 107.5 FM with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. The "Voice of the Bulldogs" Dave Nitz will do play-by-play while Jack Thigpen provides analysis.
Fans can also access live audio by having a subscription to LA Tech All Access. Live video and stats of the game through are available through links provided on the schedule page.
Twitter users can also receive live in-game updates by following @LATechHoops.
