RUSTON – The Talvin Hester era began with a victory as Louisiana Tech defeated Mississippi College, 78-61, on Monday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
LA Tech (1-0) was at its best the last 10 minutes of the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half, building as much as a 24-point lead over Mississippi College. 
 
The Bulldogs missed four of its first five shot attempts, but then went on a stretch where they made nine of the next 10 baskets.  One of those was a three-pointer from the wing by freshman Jordan Crawford to give the home team its first lead of the 2022-23 season at 13-12. 
 
The points started to come in waves, thanks to the lockdown defense of allowing just two made field goals in the final 10 minutes of the first stanza.  The scoring primarily came from the trio of J. Crawford, Keaston Willis, and Cobe Williams as they combined to score 26 of the team's last 33 points before halftime, resulting in a 43-26 advantage at the break.
 
Isaiah Crawford, seeing his first action almost a year after suffering a season-ending injury, got in on the scoring early in the second half.  The forward scored seven of his 12 points to help the 'Dogs build as much as a 63-39 lead with 10:53 to go in the game.
 
LA Tech ended up forcing 22 turnovers, scoring 21 points off those turnovers.  Offensively, they shot 46.8 percent from the field (29-62) and 31.0 percent from beyond the arc (9-29).  Four Bulldogs ended in double figures – Willis (20), Williams (16), J. Crawford (15), and I. Crawford (12). 
 
The Choctaws shot 23-of-54 for 42.6 percent, getting the bulk of their scoring from Tradavis Thompson who finished with a game-high 28 points.     
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
"It was a tale of two halves for us.  I thought in the first half, we played really mature and really hard.  In the second half, we got a little immature.  If we could repeat the first half more, I think we will be fine.  During the good stretches, it was our defense that was working.  That always translates to your offense being more comfortable."
 
"Once the game started, it was different for me being the head coach.  I think you internalize the mistakes more as a head coach.  You question yourself on if you prepared your team for this moment."
 
NOTABLES

• With the 78-61 win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series with Mississippi College, 21-12.The Bulldogs have won eight straight over the Choctaws.
• LA Tech picked up its 15th straight victory in its home opener (now 35-5 in home openers inside the Thomas Assembly Center).
• The Bulldogs extended their home winning streak in non-conference games to 29, a streak that began back on Nov. 11, 2018.
• Keaston Willis registered a team-high 20 points, marking the fifth time in his Bulldog career he has posted 20+ points in a single game.
• Keaston Willis knocked down four three-pointers, marking the 11th time in his Bulldog career with 4+ threes in a single game.
• Both Will Allen and Kaleb Stewart made their first career starts as Bulldogs.It was the collegiate debut for Allen, finishing with nine points and a team-high six rebounds.
• Cobe Williams recorded a career-high four steals to go along with his 16 points.
• Isaiah Crawford returned to action after missing almost all of last season due to injury, getting the start and notching 12 points.
• True freshman Jordan Crawford tallied 15 points in his Bulldog debut.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will hit the road in a week to take on No. 25 Texas Tech in Lubbock on Monday, Nov. 14.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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