LA Tech vs. UAB Preview
LA Tech won its seventh straight game (and fourth straight true road game) this past Sunday, defeating Southern Miss in Hattiesburg by a final score of 76-62. Up three with five minutes to go, the Bulldogs closed the game out on a 16-5 run to sweep the Golden Eagles.
Kenneth Lofton, Jr. stuffed the stat sheet, recording a game-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. He is currently one of 11 players in the country averaging a double-double at 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
After scoring 21 points while making four three-pointers versus USM in Ruston, Keaston Willis remained hot in Hattiesburg with 14 points and four more triples to average 17.5 points for the week. For the season, he is averaging 11.2 points per game and has made 47 threes, ranking 59th in the country.
As a team, LA Tech ranks in the top 35 in the country in multiple categories including assist/turnover ratio (1.37), defensive rebounds per game (28.33), fouls per game (14.0) and scoring offense (78.9).
UAB suffered its first loss in C-USA play at Rice, falling 85-80 to the Owls. However, they rebounded this past week by sweeping the FIU-Florida Atlantic series at home in Birmingham. The Blazers rank high nationally in numerous categories. They average 81.1 points per game, which is the most in the league and 17th most in the country. They also rank in the top 20 in the nation in turnover margin (7.1), steals per game (10.7) and field goal percentage defense (38.9).
UAB is led in scoring by transfer Jordan Walker who is the reigning C-USA Player of the Week after averaging 23.5 points per game in the wins over the Panthers and Owls. He is averaging a team-best 16.9 points per game and has scored 17+ points in five straight contests. Quan Jackson is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game. He also has 47 steals on the season, the third most of any player in the country.
LA Tech pulled ahead in the all-time series with UAB for the first time this past season, going up 9-8 thanks to two home victories (70-58 and 69-64). The Blazers won all four meetings in the series prior to the Bulldogs joining C-USA. However, since then the 'Dogs have gone 9-4 against them. LA Tech currently owns a five-game winning streak over UAB and has won all six meetings in Ruston.
