RUSTON – Louisiana Tech heads back on the road for a pair of conference games, starting on Thursday night versus Jacksonville State at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 16 | 6 p.m. CT
Location: Pete Mathews Coliseum (Jacksonville, Ala.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (13-4, 2-2 CUSA)
LA Tech made it a home sweep this past week, handing Liberty just its third loss of the season with a 79-74 victory on Saturday. Down seven at halftime, the Bulldogs put up a whopping 52 points on the Flames in the second half (came into the contest allowing 59.9 points per game). It marked the sixth time this season LA Tech has won after trailing at halftime and the 79 points was also the most scored on Liberty all season. It was a milestone for Talvin Hester who collected his 50th career win as head coach of the 'Dogs.
 
After averaging just 54.0 points on 35.6 percent shooting in their two conference road losses to UTEP and New Mexico State, the Bulldogs regrouped at home by averaging 80.0 points on 51.8 percent shooting in the two victories over FIU and Liberty. LA Tech currently ranks 23rd in the country in field goal percent­age this season at a 49.3 percent clip.
 
LA Tech made 22 of its 25 free throw attempts against Liberty (most in a game with at least 25 attempts since 2021). The Bulldogs, who rank second in CUSA in free throw percentage at 75.6 percent, have now had five games where they shot at least 80 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Sean Newman Jr. scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting while playing the entire 40 minutes against Liberty. The point guard also dished out eight assists, marking his second game this season with at least 25 points and eight dimes (only player in the country to have multiple games with this stat line). He has recorded at least eight assists in 12 of the 17 games this season. He ranks second in the country in total assists (162) and first in assists per game (9.5).
 
Daniel Batcho recorded his third double-double of the season with 24 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. It marked his sixth game this season with 20+ points, upping his scoring average to 18.5 points per game. He continues to rank first in the country in field goal percentage at 74.7 percent. He also had a big impact as usual on the defensive end too, recording three blocks versus the Flames (seventh time this season with at least three rejections). His 41 total blocks ranks seventh in the nation.
 
Amaree Abram was terrific on both ends versus the Flames. Offensively, he scored all 13 of his points in the second half. Meanwhile defensively, he had the responsibility of guarding Liberty's leading scorer Kaden Metheny who finished with a season-low three points.
 
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE STATE (9-7, 1-2 CUSA)
Jacksonville State went 8-5 in the non-confer­ence slate, registering marquee wins over East Carolina and Utah Valley. The Gamecocks will be playing their first CUSA game at home, having won all five matchups this season at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Jax State is the only CUSA yet to play a home game with all three league games coming on the road. They suffered losses at Kennesaw State and Middle Tennessee while recording a 73-67 victory at WKU.
 
Jacksonville State has made a living of owning the rebounding battle this season. The Game­cocks rank top 15 in the country in rebounds per game (41.25), rebounding margin (9.1) and defensive rebounds per game (29.75). Jax State has outrebounded its opponent in 13 of its 16 games this season, eclipsing 40 boards in seven contests.
 
The Gamecocks are also known for taking care of the basketball. They average only 9.9 turn­overs per game, which ranks 21st in the coun­try. In half of their games this season, they have committed less than 10 turnovers.
 
Jax State is anchored offensively by Jaron Pierre Jr. The Wichita State transfer is averag­ing 22.2 points per game, the most in CUSA and fourth most in the country. He has scored in double figures in every game this season and owns 12 20+ scoring perfor­mances. Two of those have come in league play, scoring 20 against KSU and 22 versus Middle Tennessee.
 
Pierre Jr. has taken 28.2 percent of the Game­cocks total shots this season. He scores at all three levels, having also knocked down a team-high 41 three-pointers 62 free throws.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech and Jax State faced off twice last sea­son for the first time ever with the Bulldogs winning both contests. The 'Dogs pulled out a 74-57 victory in Jack­sonville State thanks to a 30-point effort from Isaiah Crawford. They then pulled out a 63-58 win in Ruston.
 
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