RUSTON – League-leading Louisiana Tech looks to bounce back on Saturday night when they take on the Liberty Flames in Lynchburg at Liberty Arena.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 10 | 7 p.m. CT
Location: Liberty Arena (Lynchburg, Virginia)
TV: ESPNU | WatchESPN
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (16-7, 6-2 CUSA)
LA Tech had its six-game winning streak and 11-game home winning streak snapped on Thursday, falling to WKU by a final score of 81-76. Playing without regular starters Tahlik Chavez and Tyler Henry, the Bulldogs' top two scorers -- Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho -- combined for only 19 points and 14 rebounds. Both forwards also combined for 10 fouls as the duo dealt with foul trouble all night before fouling out late in the game.
 
It was an off night on the defensive end for LA Tech, allowing 81 points which tied for the most this season. Despite that, the Bulldogs still rank seventh in the country in field goal percentage defense (38.6) and 13th in scoring defense (63.5). The Bulldogs did amass seven blocks against WKU, marking the 11th time this season with at least five rejections in a single game. They rank first in CUSA and 24th in the nation in blocks per game (5.0), having the top two shot blockers in the league in Daniel Batcho (2.38 bpg) and Isaiah Crawford (1.57 bpg).
 
Jordan Crawford and Dravon Mangum provided the bulk of the scoring versus the Hill­toppers. Each tallied a career high in points as Crawford scored 25 (11-of-15 shooting) and Mangum added 23 (5-of-10 from three-point range). It marked the second straight game LA Tech had multiple players score 20+ points in the same game (Tahlik Chavez and Daniel Batcho did so at FIU). Seven different Bulldogs have now scored at least 20 points in a single game this season.
 
Daniel Batcho pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds against WKU, the 13th time this season with 10+ boards in a single game (next most by a CUSA player is four). He is averag­ing 14.5 points and 10.5 boards per game, one of just 12 players in the country averaging a double-double.
 
Sean Newman Jr. dished out five assists in the game versus WKU. The point guard has registered at least five assists in a single game 13 times this season (has 25 assists over the last four games. He currently leads CUSA in assists per game at 5.2 a contest.
 
Isaiah Crawford continues to pace the Bulldogs offensively, averaging 15.7 points per game. During league play, he ranks third in CUSA in scoring (17.0 points) and fourth in field goal percentage (50.5). Defensively, he is top five in both steals per game (2.13) and blocks per game (2.00) in conference action. The forward is currently the only player in the country with at least 45 steals and 35 blocks this season.
 
ABOUT LIBERTY (15-9, 4-5 CUSA)
Liberty has won back-to-back games against UTEP and Middle Tennessee, putting the Flames in a tie for fifth place in the conference standings.
 
Their most impressive league win came this past Thursday, dominating the Blue Raiders at home with an 88-53 victory. They shot 56.5 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc, improving to 9-2 at home this season.
 
The Flames have continued using the three-ball in conference action, ranking first with 9.33 made three-pointers per game while ranking 13th in the country in three-point at­tempts per game (28.5).
 
Their distribution of the basketball is also tops in the league, ranking first in both assists per game (15.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.45). The Flames dished out 20 assists in the win over the Blue Raiders, the eighth time this sea­son they have had at least 20 in a single game.
 
Liberty gets its scoring from several players as four Flames average double-digit points. Leading the charge is Kyle Rode who is aver­aging 13.2 points per game followed by Kaden Methany at 12.7 points per game. The two Flames have totaled 154 made three-point­ers, each ranking top 35 in the country in total threes.
 
Right behind them is Zach Cleveland who is averaging 12.5 points for the season but a team-high 15.9 points during conference play. In league action, he is leading CUSA in field goal percentage at 59.6.
 
THE SERIES
In the first ever meeting between LA Tech and Liberty almost a month ago, the Bulldogs prevailed in overtime, 80-76, in Ruston.  After trailing by as much as 10 in the first half, LA Tech was able to force the extra period where they outscored Liberty, 11-7.
 
LA Tech has now played all eight CUSA opponents, sitting in first place in the standings with a 6-2 record. The Bulldogs now start a stretch of playing four of their next six opponents on the road starting with Liberty who they defeated, 80-76, in overtime almost a month ago.
 
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