RUSTON – Louisiana Tech closes out the regular season with two home games, starting on Thursday night versus Sam Houston inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Thursday, March 7 | 8 p.m. CT
Location: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Tickets: LATechSports.com/PackTheTAC
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (21-8, 11-3 CUSA)
LA Tech won its third conference road game in seven days, outlasting WKU in Bowling Green by a score of 90-84.  It was the most points allowed by the Bulldogs all season, but they were able to outscore the top offense in the league. 
 
The defensive-minded Bulldogs proved they can score with the best of them, shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 55.0 percent from three (11-of-20), and 78.1 percent from the foul line versus the Hilltoppers (made a season-high 25 free throws).
 
Sean Newman Jr. had arguably his best game as a Bulldog, registering career highs in points (19) and rebounds (7) while also dishing out eight assists.  He has amassed 130 assists while averaging 5.2 assists per game, both tops in CUSA.
 
Isaiah Crawford had another stellar game as well, scoring a team-high 20 points which was his ninth 20+ scoring performance of the season.  Over the last four games, the forward is averaging 20.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.  He is averaging 17.9 points during conference play, which is tops in the league.
 
After missing the first matchup against WKU, Tahlik Chavez made his presence felt by scoring 16 points while going 4-of-7 from long range.  He has scored in double figures in 11 of the 13 CUSA games played, averaging 16.2 points per game during league action which ranks fourth.  He is shooting a CUSA-best 42.2 percent from three, which ranks 16th in the nation.
 
Daniel Batcho was a fourth Bulldog that scored in double figures, posting 15 points.  The forward also had four blocks, including a pivotal one of the closing minutes that denied the Hilltoppers a chance to tie the game.  He currently ranks ninth in the country in blocks per game at 2.40.
 
ABOUT SAM HOUSTON (18-11, 11-3 CUSA)
Since losing back-to-back road games to FIU and Jacksonville State, Sam Houston has reeled off a season-high five straight wins, winning by double-digits in all five games.
 
Most recently, the Bearkats were 81-64 winners over Middle Tennessee in Huntsville.  The Blue Raiders sliced their deficit down to single digits at 58-50 with 11:23 to go, but the Bearkats responded with a 14-4 run to put the game out of reach.
 
In doing so, Sam Houston improved to 11-2 at home for the season and 7-0 at home during conference play (lone undefeated home team in league play).
 
The Bearkats are particularly known for being one of the top rebounding teams in CUSA.  They rank top 75 in the country in both rebounds per game (38.00) and offensive rebounds per game (11.79).  They have outrebounded 10 of their 14 league opponents, seven of which were outrebounded by 10+ boards.
 
During league play, Sam Houston has been the top three-point shooting team (38.0 percent clip from beyond the arc) as well as the top defender of three-point shooting (allowing teams to shoot just 32.5 percent from long range).
 
Their top two scoring threats are Lamar Wilkerson and Davon Barnes who are averaging 14.1 and 13.9 points per game, respectively.  The duo has combined to hit 99 three-pointers.  Wilkerson has scored in double figures in six straight games, including a 25-point effort at New Mexico State.  Barnes is coming off a season-high 23 points against Middle Tennessee.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech leads the all-time series versus Sam Houston, 5-3.  The Bearkats have won the last two meetings, including an 81-77 win in Huntsville, Texas two months which was the CUSA opener for both teams.
 
The Bulldogs are 3-0 versus the Bearkats at home with the last matchup in the TAC taking place in 2018 when LA Tech was a 76-69 winner.
 
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