RUSTON – DaQuan Bracey scored a career-high 28 points and Louisiana Tech used a late offensive surge to get past UTEP, 71-57, on Thursday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
LA Tech (16-10, 6-7 C-USA) put an end to its three-game losing skid while running its home record this season to a perfect 13-0. 
 
To do so, the Bulldogs needed a strong defensive effort which they produced by allowing just 57 points.  To pull away from UTEP (8-16, 3-10 C-USA) though, they needed to make a run and that they did, finishing the game on a 15-4 spurt in the final minutes.
 
"We knew we were going to play against a very hard-playing team," head coach Eric Konkol said.  "I thought we started off a little slow, but as the game got going, our defensive energy and intensity really improved.  The defensive effort we ended up having I thought was the real difference. 
 
"On the offensive end, I thought we played well as the game went on.  We got some good looks and knocked them down and took advantages of the opportunities we were able to get."
 
It was quite the physical battle between the two squads.  So much so that there were a combined 34 fouls and three technicals.  And so much so that the short-handed Bulldogs used lineups that had never even practiced together, much less played, like the one with Stacey Thomas, Oliver Powell and Mubarak Muhammed in at the same time. 
 
"It was a challenge tonight," Konkol said about navigating through foul trouble.  "We had a lot of foul trouble, early and often, throughout the game.  It is what was required.  We played some zone.  We tried to piece some of it together.  Our team showed a lot of perseverance tonight and fight."
 
One of those players with foul trouble was Anthony Duruji, but the forward still dropped 16 points.  His last points were big, hitting a three-pointer from the corner to put LA Tech up 50-42 and force a UTEP timeout with 12:05 to play.  It was the home team's largest lead of the game thus far. 
 
However, the Miners fought back.  Leading that charge was C-USA Freshman of the Year candidate Efe Odigie who finished with a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.  He connected on an eight-foot jumper with 3:58 to go, pulling his team within three at 56-53. 
 
That's when LA Tech turned to the three-point shot, something that was not in their favor up to this point having made just one of their eight attempts in the second half.  Jacolby Pemberton sank a triple from the wing to push the lead to six.  Then after a defensive stop, Amorie Archibald connected from beyond the arc to put the game out of reach for UTEP. 
 
Bracey's damage came throughout the entire game, having played 38 minutes.  He had 13 points in the first half, including a stretch where he made eight straight points for the 'Dogs.  And he was equally as impressive in the second half, making big buckets and big free throws to help keep his team in the lead.
 
He ended the night 9-of-12 shooting from the field, surpassing his previous career-high of 25 which he had done twice before.  He also tied his career high with six rebounds and added three dimes.
 
"I was staying aggressive," Bracey said.  "We prepared really well this week as a team.  My shot was going and I was taking them."
 
The Bulldogs ended up shooting 26-of-51 from the field for 51 percent, including seven three-pointers.  Duruji tacked on five rebounds and a career-tying four blocks while Archibald dished out a team-high five assists. 
 
UTEP was held to 21-of-64 shooting for 33 percent.  It marked the sixth time this season the Bulldogs have held a C-USA opponent under 60 points.
 
LA Tech will play its final conference game before bonus play begins on Saturday, Feb. 16 versus UTSA.  Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in the TAC and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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