RUSTON – Louisiana Tech makes another trip down south on Saturday, this time to take on in-state rival UL-Lafayette at 6 p.m. inside the Cajundome.
The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to
Malcolm Butler and
Jack Thigpen call the action on the LA Tech Sports Network on KPCH 96.3 FM (Ruston) and KOKA 980 AM (Shreveport) as well as on the LA Tech Athletics app.
LA Tech (4-1) got back into the win column this past Wednesday, pulling away late from Southeastern Louisiana for a 78-69 victory. It was the 10th straight home win and the 22nd straight home win over the Lions.
Both teams shot the ball efficiently on offense, but it ended up being the turnover margin that made the difference for the Bulldogs. They forced a season-high 18 turnovers (+8 turnover margin) and turned those into 29 points. The team had totaled 39 points off turnovers in the previous four games combined.
Much of those forced turnovers were live-ball TOs which resulted in 22 fast-break points. LA Tech totaled a season-high nine steals in the effort, three of which came from
Cobe Williams. The sophomore guard has a team-high 10 steals as well as a team-high 16 assists on the season.
The senior guard duo of
Kalob Ledoux and
Amorie Archibald did a good chunk of the scoring for the 'Dogs. Both produced season-highs with Ledoux recording 24 and Archibald posting 16. The tandem combined to make 14 field goals, half of which were three-pointers.
It was the second 20+ scoring performance for Ledoux who leads the team with an average of 15.8 points per game. He is shooting 47 percent from the field and 45 percent from deep, having made a team-high 13 threes.
The team as a whole is shooting 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from three, averaging 75.6 points per contest.
UL-Lafayette (3-1) has similar offensive numbers, averaging 80.5 points while shooting 45 percent from the field. After falling to top-ranked Baylor in the season opener, the Ragin' Cajuns have won three straight against New Orleans, LSU-Shreveport and LSU-Alexandria.
ULL features two players – guards Mylik Wilson and Cedric Russell – who were selected to the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Team. Wilson, who is averaging 14.5 points, was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year last season.
Russell leads the Cajuns in scoring at 16.3 points per game. They also have two big men, Theor Akwuba and Dou Gueye, who are averaging double-doubles. Akwuba ranks fourth in the country in field goal percentage, having missed only five shots all season for 81.5 percent.
Saturday will mark the 166th meeting all-time between the two programs. While the Ragin' Cajuns hold a slim 4-3 advantage since the series was renewed in 2013, the Bulldogs have won the past two, including a 77-59 victory last season in Ruston.
Fans can follow Bulldog Basketball on Twitter (@LATechHoops), Instagram (@LATechHoops) and Facebook (LATechMBB) for live in-game updates.
