RUSTON – Louisiana Tech opens up Conference USA action on Thursday against Marshall at 8 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.  This nationally televised matchup on ESPN2 and ESPNU will be the second straight season the Bulldogs and Thundering Herd start league play against one another.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Thursday, Dec. 30 | 8 p.m. CT
Location: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.)
TV/Stream: ESPN2 | ESPNU | WatchESPN app (HERE)
Radio: 107.5 FM | LA Tech Athletics app
Stats: LATechSports.com (HERE)
Series: LA Tech leads 8-5
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (9-3)
LA Tech wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule a week ago with a 99-56 home victory over Crowley's Ridge, extending its home winning streak to 15.  The Bulldogs dominated inside, scoring 62 paint points.  They ended up shooting 79.1 percent from two (team is shooting 57.7 percent from two this season, currently the highest ever in the three-point era).
 
Amorie Archibald scored a game-high 20 points, becoming the fifth Bulldog this season to register at least 20 points in a single game.  The fifth-year senior has scored in double figures nine times this season and is averaging 17.5 points over his last four games (averaging 13.6 for the season).
 
LA Tech ranks third in C-USA and 32nd in the country in scoring offense at 80.7 points per game.  They also rank first in the league and 37th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 1.38.
 
ABOUT MARSHALL (7-6)
Marshall comes into Ruston having lost three straight games, falling to Ohio, Northern Iowa and Toledo.  The high-scoring Thundering Herd were averaging 83.1 points during their first 10 games, but have averaged just 62.7 points during their three-game losing skid.
 
The Herd rank second in the country in blocks per game, averaging 7.2 per contest.  They are also the No. 1 rebounding team in C-USA with an average of 40.54 boards per contest. 
 
Junior Taevion Kinsey anchors Marshall, averaging 19.7 points per game, which ranks second in C-USA and 28th in the country.  He has scored 20+ points in nine games this season while having played all 40 minutes seven times.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech leads the all-time series against Marshall, 8-5.  The Bulldogs won the first six meetings in the series, but the Herd have won five of the last seven.  LA Tech has lost only three times at home since the 2018-19 season and two of those were to Marshall.
 
The Bulldogs are 7-1 all-time in C-USA openers and are a perfect 4-0 when the openers are at home.
 
TICKETS
From 2 p.m. Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday, there will be a special 24-hour flash sale where tickets can be purchased for only $2.  To purchase, visit LATechSports.com/HBTD.
 
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