RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech men's basketball team will play its final non-conference game at home on Saturday afternoon, taking on Lamar at 1 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
The matchup will be streamed live on CUSA.tv (subscription required).  Fans can also listen to Dave Nitz and Jack Thigpen call the action through the LA Tech Sports Network on KXKZ 107.5 FM (Ruston) and KOKA 980 AM (Shreveport) as well as on the LA Tech Athletics app.
 
LA Tech (5-2) continued a couple of streaks – 11 straight wins at home and 18 straight non-conference home victories – after overpowering Jackson State this past Tuesday in a final score of 85-58. 
 
The defense was the star, forcing a season-high 24 turnovers which was the second most by a Division I opponent in the Eric Konkol era.  The squad turned those into 26 points, marking the third straight game with scoring 20+ off turnovers. 
 
Kalob Ledoux was the Bulldogs leading scorer yet again, recording 17 points in just 22 minutes of action.  He upped his scoring average to 15.3 points per game and now has made 18 three-pointers which ranks second in Conference USA and 33rd in the country.
 
The bench continued to provide sparks, scoring a season-high 42 points.  Jace Bass notched a career-high 16 points while Andrew Gordon nearly had a double-double with nine points and a career-high nine rebounds.   
 
LA Tech upped its scoring average to 81.6 points per game at home.  The 'Dogs will look to close out another undefeated non-conference in the TAC when they face Lamar (1-5). 
 
After dropping their first four games of the season, the Cardinals got into the win column in a dramatic way, nailing a three-pointer from 40-feet at the buzzer to beat ULM in Monroe, 63-60. 
 
They turned around and played their first home game of the year, falling by three points (66-63) this time at the hands of Southern Miss. 
 
Davion Buster, a preseason All-Southland selection, made his first appearances this year in these two contests.  So far, he is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game, this after registering seven 20+ scoring performances last season for the 17-15 Cardinals. 
 
 Two other key contributors for Lamar have been Anderson Kopp and Avery Sullivan.  Both players have started all six games and are averaging 12.8 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. 
 
LA Tech and Lamar have a rich history, having played each other at least once every season from 1971-98.  It was a series spanning three conferences – Southland, America South and Sun Belt. 
 
The two teams have faced just once since then, a 71-68 win for the Cardinals in the Shelby Metcalf Classic in College Station, Texas.  The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 33-29. 
 
Fans can follow Bulldog Basketball on Twitter (@LATechHoops), Instagram (@LATechHoops) and Facebook (LATechMBB) for live in-game updates.