LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A total team effort that saw 11 Lady Techsters score, including three in double figures, gave LA Tech the 73-50 wire-to-wire win over Stetson in the first game of the UNLV Thanksgiving Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.
Anna Larr Roberson registered her first double-double of the season with a game and season-high 19 points to go with 10 rebounds. She was joined by
Keiunna Walker (18) and
Lotte Sant (11) in double figures.
LA Tech (4-1) got off to another hot start, assisting on six of their first nine buckets to take a 20-9 lead off Roberson's first made three of the season.
Tech would put up 22 and 19 points in each of the first two periods for their highest first-half scoring output of the season, capped off by two great defensive plays by Salma Bates that led to a Silvia Nativi layup to end the half up 41-20.
The Techsters finished the half on a 14-3 run over the final six minutes.
Both teams had a hard time finding their rhythm in the third, which saw 18 foul calls between the two teams. Despite the choppy play and a lot of second-chance opportunities from Stetson, the Techsters extended the lead to their largest lead of the game at 25 with just eight seconds remaining in the third (59-34).
In the final stanza, Stetson (3-2) used a couple of mini runs to cut Tech's lead to 15 (65-40), but Lady Techsters' bench produced an 8-0 run of their own over the final three minutes, thanks to production from freshmen Ayen Angoi and Anja Buckvic.
Mackenzie Wurm capped off the game with a coast-to-coast layup following a defensive stretch where she registered two blocks and a steal.
Tech had another good night shooting, with 47 percent from the floor while holding the Hatters to just 30 percent, including 20 percent from three.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Brooke Stoehr…
"I loved the way we started the game and played together offensively. We got stops that led to transition and moved and shared the ball for high-percentage shots. We established our interior early and it opened up some solid attacks and looks on the perimeter.
We fouled too much in the third quarter and just were not as fluid offensively as a result. I was very proud of our bench production tonight, and we were able to limit the minutes for our group playing three games in three days. We have a quick turnaround to recover and get ready for a tough opponent tomorrow on day two here in Las Vegas."
NOTABLES
• LA Tech is now 2-0 all-time against Stetson and is now 1-0 on a neutral floor
•
Anna Larr Roberson had a season-high with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
• It was Roberson's second double-double of the season and 18th of her career.
• She is now tied with Vickie Johnson and Belinda Jones on the all-time list.
•
Lotte Sant had a season-high 11 points, her first game in double figures this season.
• The Techsters have had six different players reach double figures through the first five games.
•
Keiunna Walker passed Amber Obaze for No. 22 on the all-time scoring list, with 1,481 points.
• Mackenzie Wurm tied her career-high with three blocks.
• Salma Bates registered her 12th career block.
• Walker took three more charges; she has nine on the season.
UP NEXT
Louisiana Tech will play Illinois State in the semifinals of the UNLV Thanksgiving tournament Saturday, November 26 at 4:30 p.m. CT inside the Thomas and Mack Center. There will be no live stream for the tournament, but the game can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network app.
ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE (4-0)
The Illinois State Redbirds come into Saturday's semifinal matchup undefeated on the young season at 4-0 after taking down UC San Diego on the first day of the UNLV Thanksgiving Tournament, 79-62.
The Redbirds started the year with a 74-70 overtime win at Dayton followed by home wins over St. Thomas (71-56) and Wisconsin (62-57).
Illinois State is led by graduate transfer and former NCAA Division II National Player of the Year Paige Robinson. The 5-10 guard out of Drury is averaging 23 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 53 percent from the field and is 9-17 from three (.535).
Robinson is joined by Mary Crompton (14.7 ppg) and DeAnna Wilson (10.0 ppg) in double figures. Wilson leads the team in rebounds at 8.7 per contest.
The Redbirds are shooting 40 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three while giving up similar numbers to opponents (.409 and .328).
THE SERIES
LA Tech leads the all-time series 5-1 against Illinois State dating back to 1982-83, which is the only game played on a neutral floor. Tech won the contest 71-56, followed by a home game (67-42) the same season.
The two programs would meet three more times in the 80s, with Tech taking each game. Illinois won its only game of the series when the two teams finally met again over 20 years later in Normal, Ill. (73-59).
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