RUSTON – Louisiana Tech closes out its home weekend by hosting Charlotte on Saturday.  The two teams last met back on New Year's Eve. 
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 18 | 2 p.m. CT
Location: Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court (Ruston, La.)
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Talent: Chris Mycoskie (pxp), Teddy Allen (analyst)
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats | LA Tech Athletics app
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
Tickets: LATechSports.com/Tickets
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (13-13, 6-9 C-USA)
LA Tech dropped its third straight game, falling 72-62 to North Texas on Thursday in the TAC. The Bulldogs knocked down 10 three-pointers against one of the top defenses in the country, but they were unable to stop the Mean Green who shot 61.2 percent from the field. UNT owned the paint, outscoring LA Tech 48-22 in that area.
 
Keaston Willis sank four of LA Tech's 10 three-pointers, in route to scoring a team-high 18 points versus North Texas. In doing so, the fourth-year guard eclipsed 1,500 career points (two seasons apiece at Incarnate Word and LA Tech). He has made at least four triples in seven games this season.
 
Isaiah Crawford showed off his versatility again versus the Mean Green, recording 12 points, six assists (tied a career high), five rebounds, and four steals. Over his last six games, the forward is averaging 15.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game.
 
The Bulldogs have made at least eight three-pointers in their eight of their last nine games (averaging 9.6 made three-pointers during this stretch). They are shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc over their last four games.
 
With five conference games remaining, LA Tech is in a tie with Charlotte and WKU for seventh place (just one game back of fifth).
 
ABOUT CHARLOTTE (15-11, 6-9 C-USA)
The 49ers took down the WKU Hilltoppers for a second time this season, winning in overtime by a final score of 68-64 on Thursday. They used the three-ball to do it, sinking a season-high 14 from beyond the arc.
 
Offensively, Charlotte is very efficient at all three levels. They rank first in C-USA in three-point percentage (37.0) as well as free throw percentage (74.5). The 49ers also have an ef­fective field goal percentage of 53.9, which ranks 53rd in the country. They have not shot it as well lately, having eclipsed 40.0 percentage shooting from the field only once over their last five games.
 
Defensively, the 49ers do a great job of guard­ing without fouling as they average only 14.0 fouls per game (14th fewest in the country). They have allowed only one opponent in the last month to score over 70 points
 
Brice Williams leads Charlotte in scoring with an average of 12.0 points per game. He is capa­ble of having big games, like he did earlier this season when he had back-to-back 31-point performances against Middle Tennessee and LA Tech.
 
The other key roster piece for the 49ers is reigning C-USA Freshman of the Year Aly Khalifa. The 6-foot-11 center is averaging 11.5 points to go along with a team-best 6.7 re­bounds and 2.8 assists per game.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech leads the all-time series over Charlotte, 9-2.  The Bulldogs and 49ers have squared off as conference opponents every season except one (2020-21) since they joined C-USA in 2013.
 
Saturday will mark just the third time that LA Tech and Charlotte will face off more than once in the same season. The two teams played twice in 2013-14 (first year in the league) as well as in 2019-20.
 
In the first meeting this season, LA Tech erased a 13-point deficit, but ended up falling late to Charlotte by a final score of 68-66 inside Halton Arena. The Bulldogs used a late run to take a 62-59 lead with 3:24 to go, but the 49ers scored seven straight points to help them come out on top.
 
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