RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech women's basketball team returns to the road for a Saturday meeting with UAB in Birmingham, Ala. on Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. in Bartow Arena. The game can be seen on CUSA.tv and heard on the LA Tech Athletics app.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 14 | 2 p.m. CT
Location: Bartow Arena (Birmingham, Ala.)
TV/Stream: CUSA.tv
Radio: KNBB 97.7 FM | LA Tech Athletics app
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats | LA Tech Athletics app
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (10-6, 3-3 C-USA)
Louisiana Tech reached season-win No. 10 and got back to .500 in conference beating North Texas 81-66 for program win No. 599 all-time in Ruston. Tech had their best shooting night in 20 years, hitting 30-47 from the floor for 64 percent, including 7-12 from three (.583) and 14-17 from the line (.824).
Tech has hit six or more threes in six straight games, thanks in part to an absolute tear from
Lotte Sant since starting conference play. Sant is shooting 62 percent from three in conference hitting 18-29 and recently moved into the program's all-time top-10 in three-pointers made.
Keiunna Walker has scored 20 or more in three straight and has reached double figures in all but two games this season.
Salma Bates has also reached 10 or more in five straight games and has dished out three or more assists in her last nine games.
As a team, Tech is shooting 46.4 percent from the floor on the year, which ranks No. 1 in C-USA, and 36.4 from three, which is good for second. Their 77.2 percent from the line also ranks second in the league.
LA Tech is averaging 30 points per game in the paint is getting great production from their bench at 21.8 points per contest.
Defensively, the Techsters are among the league leaders in scoring defense (59.7 PPG) and are holding teams to 37 percent shooting. Both rank second among conference foes.
Tech is 8-0 this season when holding teams to less than 60 points and 6-0 when out-rebounding opponents. They are also 7-1 when scoring 70 or more points.
ABOUT UAB (9-6, 1-5 C-USA)
UAB got off to a great start to the season with an 8-1 non-conference slate. Their only loss came at the hands of LSU in the Bahamas after winning their first five contests of 2022-23.
The Blazers dropped their first three C-USA contests but rebounded at home against Florida Atlantic before falling to FIU (89-91) and WKU (71-75) in their last two outings. Four of their five conference losses have been by six points or less.
Offensively, UAB boasts the league's most high-powered unit at 76.9 PPG on .437 shooting (No. 3), including .365 from three (No. 1). UAB has scored 80 or more in seven contests, including a season-high 101 against Mississippi Valley State.
UAB leads the league in defensive rebounds per game at 29.1 but is among the lowest in offensive rebounds (No. 10) at only 8.7 per game, one spot above LA Tech,
Freshman standout Denim DeShields has earned three C-USA Freshman of the Week honors this season and leads the Blazers at 14.6 PPG to go along with 3.1 RPG and 4.3 APG.
Margaret Whitley joins DeShields in double-figure scoring at 12.0 PPG, and is shooting 44 percent from three on the year, connecting on 37-84.
THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will be the 17th overall meeting between LA Tech and UAB. The series history has favored the road teams with UAB taking five of seven in Ruston, and Tech taking six of seven in Birmingham.
LA Tech has won six straight overall, breaking their home-win drought last season in the C-USA West Division title-clinching game. Tech would sweep a three-game set last season on a neutral floor in the C-USA Quarterfinals, one game removed from the division clincher.
The series is relatively young, only beginning during the 2013-14 season. UAB took four of the first six before Tech won back-to-back followed by the Blazer's own two-game sweep over the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
Seven games have been decided by 6 points or less, while six have been 15-points or greater.
UAB's only win in Birmingham came in 2015-16.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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