HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Louisiana Tech made winning plays down the stretch to come away with a 76-62 victory over Southern Miss, sweeping the two-game series on Sunday afternoon inside Reed Green Coliseum.
In a game that had 11 ties and eight lead changes, LA Tech (15-3, 6-0 C-USA) was up by three with five minutes remaining. They proceeded to finish the game on a 16-5 run, including scoring the final nine points of the game to extend their winning streak to seven and remain unbeaten in conference play (best start to C-USA in program history).
The Bulldogs needed an 8-0 run, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the top of the key by Keatson Willis, to grab a 30-26 halftime advantage.
Southern Miss (5-11, 1-3 C-USA) made eight straight free throws early in the second half to match its largest lead of the contest, up four with 17:45 left.
Despite playing with three fouls,
Kenneth Lofton, Jr. started to take over. The power forward scored six straight points, including a smooth 18-foot jumper, to put LA Tech up 44-41 and force a USM timeout.
The lead expanded to 10, but the Golden Eagles would not go away, cutting the deficit down to three with 5:14 remaining. However,
Keaston Willis splashed in his fourth three-pointer of the game to make it a two-possession game.
The Bulldogs ended making seven of their last eight field goal attempts. Defensively, they held the Golden Eagles to just two points (free throws) in the final three-plus minutes.
LA Tech scored 46 second-half points, going 18-of-29 from the field (62.1 percent), 4-of-9 from beyond the arc (44.4 percent) and 6-of-7 from the foul line (85.7 percent) in the second stanza.
Junior scored a game-high 23 points. Willis and
Cobe Williams joined him in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively. USM was held to 32.8 percent shooting for the game. DeAndre Pinckney and Tyler Stevenson each registered 21 points.
QUOTABLES
Head coach
Eric Konkol
"This was a very tight game. A very hard-playing game by both teams. I have great respect for Southern Miss and how hard they compete. They really took advantage of a couple of different things. It was a nip and tuck game for a long time, but I thought our group really executed beautifully down the stretch, especially on the offensive end. It gave us a little bit more cushion and we were able to close the game out here on the road."
NOTABLES
- LA Tech now leads the all-time series over Southern Miss, 45-44.It is the first time the Bulldogs have led in the series since 1954.
- The Bulldogs have now won 15 of the last 17 meetings against the Golden Eagles.
- The Bulldogs have won three straight in Hattiesburg and six of the last eight in Reed Green Coliseum.
- LA Tech improved to 15-3 on the season.They are one of only 11 teams in the country with at least 15 victories this season.The Bulldogs extended their home winning streak to seven.
- LA Tech remained perfect in C-USA play, improving to 6-0.It is the best start in program history in C-USA.
- The Bulldogs won their fourth straight true road game, the longest streak since 2013.
- Amorie Archibald made his 140th career appearance, tying a program record with Alex Hamilton and Speedy Smith.
- Kenneth Lofton, Jr. recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season.
- Keaston Willis knocked down four three-pointers for the fifth time this season (second straight game).
- Cobe Williams scored in double figures for the ninth time in the last 10 games.The Bulldogs are 18-2 all-time when he scores double-digit points.
UP NEXT
LA Tech returns home to start a three-game home stand, beginning with a matchup against UAB on Saturday, Jan. 22. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Stadium.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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