RUSTON – Louisiana Tech closes out its three-game road stretch on Wednesday night by taking on WKU inside E.A. Diddle Arena in what will be the final road game of the season for the Bulldogs.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 28 | 7 p.m. CT
Location: E.A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Ky.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (20-8, 10-3 CUSA)
LA Tech remains tied atop the CUSA standings with Sam Houston after completing the road sweep in the mountains, defeating New Mexico State, 67-58, for its fourth straight victory.
 
Trailing by one with 5:26 to go, the Bulldogs outscored the Aggies, 14-4, the rest of the way for their first ever win at NM State (was previously 0-10).  It also marked their 20th victory of the season, a feat reached by LA Tech in 10 of the last 12 seasons.
 
The Bulldogs did it with defense again, holding yet another opponent under 40 percent shooting (38.8) and under 60 points for the game (58).  LA Tech continues to rank in the top 10 in the country in both field goal percentage defense and scoring defense.  They also outrebounded yet another opponent, winning the boards, 35-22. 
 
Isaiah Crawford was named CUSA Player of the Week for the first time in his career after averaging 19.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game in the two victories over UTEP and NM State.  He is coming off a 20-point, 10-rebound performance versus the Aggies, his third double-double of the season.
 
Despite only making one three-pointer, Tahlik Chavez still tallied 16 points at NM State.  He has scored in double figures in 10 of the 12 CUSA games played, averaging 16.3 points per game during conference action which ranks fifth.  He is still shooting a CUSA-best 41.6 percent from three, which ranks 16th in the country (shooting 44.7 percent during league play).
 
Big man Daniel Batcho and point guard Sean Newman Jr. were the other Bulldogs to score in double figures against the Aggies, registering 13 and 10 points, respectively.  Batcho continues to pace CUSA in several categories including field goal percentage (57.5), rebounds per game (10.1), and blocks per game (2.3).  Newman Jr. is now averaging 5.1 assists per game, tops in CUSA.
 
ABOUT WKU (19-8, 8-5 CUSA)
WKU had its five-game winning streak snapped this past Saturday to rival Middle Tennessee, falling 74-72 in Murfreesboro.  Despite the loss, the Hilltoppers remain in third place in the CUSA standings going into the final three games of the regular season.
 
WKU will play its final home game on Wednesday night against LA Tech.  The Hilltoppers have been near perfect in E.A. Diddle Arena this season, going 12-1.
 
The Hilltoppers have the top offense in the conference in part due to them being the fastest team in the country with an average of 75.3 possessions per game.  They rank first in CUSA in both scoring offense (80.0 points per game) and field goal percentage (46.7 percent). 
 
In league play, WKU has been just as impressive on offense, shooting 49.1 percent from the field as well as 37.4 percent from behind the arc.  They also rank in the top two in conference in assists per game (14.46) and free throw percentage (74.3).
 
Guards Don McHenry and Brandon Newman, both of whom have started all 27 games for the Hilltoppers, are the top scorers for WKU with an average of 15.9 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.  McHenry has upped his scoring output to 17.0 points during league play, which ranks fourth in CUSA. He has scored in double figures in nine straight games, including a stretch of five games with 20+ points.
 
WKU also has forward Rodney Howard who is averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech trails in the all-time series versus WKU, 21-22.  The Hilltoppers broke the tie earlier this month by defeating the Bulldogs in Ruston, 81-76. 
 
The two programs spent 10 seasons as league foes in the Sun Belt Conference (1991-2001) and are in the 10th year together as conference opponents in CUSA.  Since becoming league foes again, it has been a highly competitive series with LA Tech owning a slim 8-7 advantage.  However, the Bulldogs are just 1-6 versus the Hilltoppers in Bowling Green during this time span (lone win at E.A. Diddle Arena came in 2021).
 
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