RUSTON – Louisiana Tech went toe-to-toe, again, with the best team in Conference USA, and came up just short as the Bulldogs fell, 76-72, to Florida Atlantic on Saturday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
LA Tech (14-17, 7-13 C-USA) had a chance to tie or take the lead with 6.5 seconds left, but a double-clutched three-point attempt by Keaston Willis to beat the shot clock was off target.  FAU (28-3, 18-2 C-USA), who escaped with an overtime win over the 'Dogs three weeks ago in Boca Raton, escaped again as Nick Boyd hit two free throws to seal it.
 
The Bulldogs, who had been bitten by slow starts in the last four games (trailed by double-digits at the half in all of them), came out not intimidated and unafraid. 
 
Down by seven, which was their largest deficit of the entire game, with 13:03 to go in the first stanza, LA Tech went on a 9-0 run to take its first lead at 18-16.  
 
The Bulldogs extended their lead out to nine at 33-24, but the Owls countered with a quick 7-0 run to to within two and force a timeout by the home team.  Jordan Crawford and Isaiah Crawford went to work though, combining to score the team's last 10 points to take a 43-38 advantage into the locker room.
 
The Crawford brothers (not by blood) combined to score 25 of the team's 43 first-half points, two of which came at the buzzer with Isaiah hitting the fade away, baseline jumper.
 
LA Tech held onto the lead all the way up until FAU tied it at 60-60 with 10:19 to play.  The Owls took their first lead in over 20 minutes after Johnell Davis scored off a Bulldog turnover, which is something they did too often (netted 20 points off turnovers).
 
The lead changed hands a couple of times, but after a three-pointer by Keaston Willis got the Bulldogs to within one at 68-69 with 4:26 to go, the team came up empty on five straight field goals allowing the Owls to build a six-point lead.
 
A putback layup by Mangum and a driving reverse layup by Isaiah Crawford made it a two-point game, and the 'Dogs got a steal on some full court pressure, giving them that chance to tie or take the lead in the closing seconds.  However, the home team came up short in the end.
 
Isaiah had a game-high 20 points while Willis had 16 and Jordan had 14.  The team shot 45.6 percent from the field.  FAU shot 46.3 percent, getting a team-high 15 points from Vladislav Goldin.  The Owls also shot nine more free throws than the Bulldogs.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
"We do not want any extra credit tonight.  Playing that hard is what we are supposed to do, every time we step in front of our fans or anybody else.  It is how we are supposed to play for each other and represent Louisiana Tech.  I thought we guarded.  We kept them out of driving lanes, closed out to shooters, and scrambled.  We gave it a fight.  We got to regroup and try to eliminate those little mistakes like we made down the stretch."
 
"We are maturing as this team.  I think they believe.  You can see in their eyes.  I felt like our team played well enough to win.  Our IQ has to turn on and we have to trust our training.  That will help us turn our losses into wins."
 
"I am so proud of Isaiah Crawford.  He has been unbelievable down this stretch.  He has put us on his back.  Keaston Willis got three fouls in the first half, had to sit for a long time, but came back on fire.  And I think everybody saw the potential of Jordan Crawford.  I know he was not super efficient, but he attacked and got down hill."
 
NOTABLES

• With the 76-72 loss, LA Tech now leads the all-time series over Florida Atlantic, 8-5. The Bulldogs suffered their first loss to the Owls in Ruston.
• LA Tech played its 21st game of the season (out of 31) that was decided by 10 points or less or overtime.
• The Bulldogs shot a season-best 93.3 percent from the foul line (14-of-15).
• Isaiah Crawford registered a game-high 20 points, his sixth 20-point scoring performance of the season. He now has 952 career points as a Bulldog.
• Jordan Crawford recorded back-to-back double-digit scoring games for the first time this season, netting 14 points apiece versus FIU and Florida Atlantic. He also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds against the Owls.
• Keaston Willis scored in double figures for the 20th time this season, putting up 16.
• Isaiah Crawford recorded his 60th steal of the game, which ties for the eighth most in a single season in program history.
• Keaston Willis made one three-pointer, giving him 76 on the season, which is tied for the sixth most in program history. It was his 101st career collegiate game with at least one made three.
• Kenny Hunter recorded three more blocks, giving him a team-high 31 for this season. He has had at least one block in each of the last 11 games. He also tied his career-high with three steals.
• Dravon Mangum tied his season-high with nine rebounds.

UP NEXT
LA Tech will travel to Frisco, Texas to take part in the 2023 Conference USA Basketball Championships at the Ford Center at the Star.  The Bulldogs are the No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 seed FIU on Wednesday, March 8 at 8 p.m. CT in the first round.  The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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