Louisiana Tech University
Sam Houston
Preview: LA Tech vs Sam Houston
1/5/2024 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RUSTON – Louisiana Tech women's basketball team will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lady Techsters basketball when they take on Sam Houston at 2 p.m. CT Saturday in the Thomas Assembly Center.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 6 | 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Lyn Rollins (PxP), Victor Howell (Analyst)
Radio: KNBB 97.7 FM | LA Tech Athletics app
Talent: Kyle Roberts
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (6-9)
Louisiana Tech secured their fourth straight win by defeating Abilene Christian 66-49. Four Lady Techsters scored in double figures, led by Amaya Brannon, who scored 17 points. Anna Larr Roberson finished with 14, followed by Salma Bates and Jianna Morris with 10 apiece.
Morris was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week for her performance against Abilene Christian. The Techsters' point guard scored 10 points, tied a career-high with five rebounds, and set a new mark with three steals while adding two steals.
Bates continues to be one of the top players in the country in several categories. She ranks No. 63 in steals (29), No. 10 in three-point attempts (112), and No. 73 in three-pointers (31).
Bates and Roberson lead the Lady Techsters with 11.7 points per game. Roberson adds a team-high 6.4 rebounds, while Bates adds 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.
Silvia Nativi is Tech's top distributer at 3.2 assists per game. She has five games with three or more dimes and games of eight assists against Louisiana College and seven against Vanderbilt and Abilene Christian. The six-foot guard is third on the team with 3.9 rebounds per game.
During the four-game winning streak, the Lady Techsters' NET ranking dropped by over 100 points.
ABOUT SAM HOUSTON (5-7)
Sam Houston enters the contest having loss four straight games. The Bearkats dropped games to UT Arlington, SMU, Utah Valley, and UTRGV.
The Bearkats are one of the top teams in the country in several categories. They Rank No. 2 in offensive rebounds per game (19.2), No. 3 in free-throw attempts per game (27.58), No. 4 in free throws made per game (18.42), No. 6 in turnovers forced per game (24.25), No. 31 in rebounds per game (43.0), No. 41 in steals per game (10.8), No. 42 in turnover margin (5.0).
Sam Houston has four players averaging double figures, led by Diana Rosenthal at 12.0 per game. Rosenthal has scored in double digits in 10 of the 12 games.
Raanee Smith leads the team with 9.9 rebounds per game and averages 8.8 points. Smith has five double-doubles on the year, including a 22-point and 16-rebound performance against Texas College. She had a 14-point and 11-rebound game at Utah Valley and 13-point and 11 rebounds against UTRGV in the previous two games.
THE SERIES
Louisiana Tech holds a 3-0 series lead. The two teams last played on Dec. 10, 2021, a 77-52 win for the Lady Techsters.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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