RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech women's basketball team responded in a big way at home with a 79-74 win over Rice behind three Techsters in double-figures, including a season-high 26 from
Keiunna Walker, who also tied a season-high with seven rebounds.
Salma Bates and
Amaya Brannon added 15 points each. Bates posted five assists with just one turnover.
In a back-and-forth first five minutes,
Salma Bates hit a three to give Tech their first lead of the night, 9-8. Rice's Ashlee Austin would immediately answer on a layup, but that would be Rice's last bucket of the quarter as Tech finished on an 11-0 run to take a 20-10 lead after one.
Tech would continue the run into the second quarter with five quick points from Walker to build a 25-10 lead before Rice ended a near seven-minute drought. After Tech built its largest lead of the game, at 16-point (30-17), Rice responded with an 9-3 run over the next 3:30 to cut the lead to seven, 33-26, with 4 minutes remaining in the half, but the Techsters finished the last two minutes of the half plus-one to take a 38-30 lead into the break.
After four quick points for LA Tech to start the third, Rice created a 10-3 stretch to cut Tech's lead to five, 45-40, but was quickly extended back to 10 with 4:21 left in the third (50-40) off a
Gabbie Green three-pointer.
During a three-minute Techster drought, Rice would cut the lead to just two, but "Buzzer Beater" Bates would finish the quarter on a 5-0 run of her own, including a three as time expired, to push the lead back to five (55-50) after three.
Rice began the final stanza with two made free throws and a layup, but a 7-2 stretch for Tech extended their lead back to eight, 62-54, with 6:25 remaining.
In the fourth, Rice was held without a basket for over six minutes, but nine Owl free throws during the span kept Rice within striking distance with under three to play, 68-63.
Rice ended their field goal drought in the final minute with three straight buckets to cut the lead to four, 75-71. Walker pushed the lead back to six with two more free throws, but Rice answered with a three from Austin. An ensuing Rice foul sent Brannon to the line in a three-point game for two shots, who was able to connect on both to ice the game.
Tech finished the night 26-51 from the field for 51 percent, including a season-high nine made threes on 9-16 shooting (.563). Tech also hit 18-22 from the line, including eight of their final ten down the stretch. Tech's bench added 17 points, making it the 13th time this season the bench has produced double digits.
Lotte Sant (3) and
Gabbie Green (2) combined for 5-10 behind the arch.
Rice also shot it well, 42.6 percent of 23-54 and an 8-21 night from three for .381, and had a plus-two advantage from the line going 20-24 (.833). The Owls ended the night with five players in double figures, led by Austin's team-high 18.
With the win, Tech is now 2-2 in C-USA play for the second time in three years and sits just two wins in Ruston away from No. 600.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Brooke Stoehr…
"Rice is a really solid team and are a tough matchup for us. We got off to a really good start but let them back in it in the second quarter with some live ball turnovers that led to easy buckets in transition for them.
Salma was great for us tonight and got us into the offense. When we move the ball the ball and get multiple sides of the floor it opens things up for Lotte and Gabbie which then gives Keiunna great driving lanes. Mackenzie is really battling right now without our depth inside. She's had to be big for us. She's learning and growing and has given us a lot in a tough spot. Lotte and Amaya are battling and I thought Amaya showed some toughness tonight and was clutch with some big free throws down the stretch.
We have a quick turnaround with a travel day tomorrow to El Paso. UTEP is a good team and are tough inside with solid guard play. We need to regroup, rest, and recover and get ready for another big one on Saturday."
NOTABLES
• LA Tech leads the all-time series 17-15 and is 12-3 in games played in Ruston.
• LA Tech won game No. 598 in Ruston.
• Tech improves to 5-0 after a loss this season and improved to 2-2 against schools from Texas.
• This was Tech's first win of the season when allowing more than 60 points.
• Tech hit a season-high nine threes in the game, hitting 9-16. Tech has hit four or more in four straight.
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Keiunna Walker surpassed 1,600 career points and moved past Shanavia Dowdell for No. 18 on the all-time scoring list. Walker has reached double digits in eight straight games with a season-high 26 points tonight. She has 1,622 for her career.
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Keiunna Walker also moved past Nora Lewis for third all-time in career free-throw attempts, with 629, and tied a season-high with seven rebounds.
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Lotte Sant has three or more made threes in four contests this season, she hit three tonight. Sant is five makes from cracking Tech's all-time top-10 and is 11 for her last 20 over the last five games. Sant also tied a season-high with three assists.
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Salma Bates pulled down her 100th career rebound and reached double digits for the fourth time this season, twice in last three games. Bates added five assists making it seven-straight with three or more. She's done it ten times this season.
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Amaya Brannon reached double figures for the sixth time this season, her third game in a row.
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Mackenzie Wurm added three more blocks in the contest, making it three straight games with three blocks, and the fourth time she has done so this season.
UP NEXT
Louisiana Tech will head to El Paso, Texas for a rematch with UTEP on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. CT inside the Don Haskins Center. The game can be seen on CUSA.tv. and heard on the LA Tech Athletics app.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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