FRISCO, Texas – Louisiana Tech meets the No. 2 seed in the East, Middle Tennessee, in the Semifinal round of the 2022 Heritage Landscape Conference USA Championships Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT on Court A at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Friday, Mar. 11 | 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Ford Center at The Star (Frisco, Texas)
TV/Stream: Stadium (
HERE)
Radio: 97.7 FM | LA Tech Sports Network (
HERE)
Stats: LATechSports.com (
HERE)
ABOUT WEST NO. 1 SEED LOUISIANA TECH (20-10, 11-7 C-USA)
Louisiana Tech will appear in their second conference USA semifinal after knocking out UAB (71-65) in the quarterfinal round Thursday afternoon. The win marked the 100th for Coach Stoehr as the Techsters' head coach as she moved into third all-time passing Teresa Weatherspoon. Coach Stoehr is now only behind Sonja Hogg and Leon Barmore.
After clinching their first conference title since 2011, Tech now also has their first 20-win season since the 2010-11 season.
Tech brings a five-game win streak into the Friday night matchup, their longest such streak of the season, and won nine of their last ten games.
LA Tech is led by All-Conference USA members
Keiunna Walker and
Anna Larr Roberson. Walker, the first-team all-conference USA selection averaged 18.3 ppg this season and has now scored in double figures 29 of 30 games after pouring in a game-high 29 against the Blazers.
Roberson, an all-C-USA second-team selection, averaged 15.3 ppg and 8.5 rpg while posting eight double-doubles on the season. Her ten rebounds against UAB was her tenth game this season with double-digit rebounds.
LA Tech brings in the third-best offense per game at 67.3 ppg and the fourth-best defense at 59.5 ppg. Tech has been the best team at the line this season shooting 76.1 percent and rank No. 2 in field-goal percentage at 43 percent.
ABOUT EAST NO. 2 SEED MIDDLE TENNESSEE (23-6, 14-4 C-USA)
Middle Tennessee took care of Southern Miss quite easily (70-50) in their quarterfinal matchup Thursday and have won seven of their last eight games.
Ten of their 14 conference wins were by double figures this season.
They boast the No. 2 ranked offense at 67.9 ppg on 40.1 percent shooting, and No. 2 ranked defense at 56.2 ppg on a second-best 37.2 percent shooting. The Blue Raiders are the No. 1 three-point shooting team at 37.2 percent, leading the league in makes and attempts, and are top-three in free-throw percentage (.747).
Middle Tennessee is led by a very balanced attack with four players averaging in double figures in scoring. Redshirt junior Kseniya Malashka leads the way with 13.0 ppg and 5.2 rpg, followed by junior Courtney Whitson 12.5 ppg and 7.6 rpg, grad student Sear Dor with 11.4 ppg, and freshman Jalynn Gregory who averages 10.9 ppg.
THE SERIES
Middle Tennessee owns an 8-6 all-team lead in the series that dates back to 1982 and is 2-0 versus Tech in neutral site games.
LA Tech and Middle Tennessee did not meet in the regular season this year. Their last matchup came during the 2020-21 season in the conference tournament. MT took the contest 77-71.
Tech's last win over the Blue Raiders came during the 2019-20 season in Ruston.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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