RUSTON – Louisiana Tech will try to split its road trip as the Bulldogs take on Kennesaw State Saturday at the KSU Convocation Center in what will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 18 | 4 p.m. CT
Location: KSU Convocation Center (Kennesaw, Ga.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (13-5, 2-3 CUSA)
LA Tech suffered its third straight Conference USA road loss, falling 63-61 to Jacksonville State on Thursday. It marked the first time this season the Bulldogs lost a game when holding their opponent to under 70 points (were 10-0 in such games). The Bulldogs were undermanned in the matchup with three players out due to injury -- Will Jeffress (out for the season), Al Green, and Jordan Crawford.
 
Facing one of the top rebounding teams in the country, LA Tech outrebounded Jax State, 37-32. The Bulldogs have outre­bounded seven of their last nine opponents. Another statistic that stood out was the 'Dogs attempting just two free throws, the fewest in at least 24 years. This was the first game all season the Bulldogs attempted single-digit free throws (were averaging 17.6 attempts coming into the contest).
 
Daniel Batcho registered a game-high 19 points, going 9-of- 12 from the field. The nation's leader in field goal percentage at 74.7 percent led the 'Dogs in scoring for the seventh time this season. He continues to pace the team in scoring at 18.5 points per game. As a result of his performance at Jax State, he eclipsed 1,000 points for his collegiate career.
 
Sean Newman Jr. dished out a game-high seven assists at Jax State. It marked the 15th time in 18 games this season he has had at least seven dimes in a game. He continues to rank second in the country in both total assists (169) and assists per game (9.4) and now ranks 14th all-time in career assists at LA Tech with 315. Just 18 games into the season, he needs only three more assists to crack the top 10 for most in a single season in program history.
 
Sean Elkinton played a season-high 28 minutes off the bench against the Gamecocks, scoring a season-high 13 points while also tying his season high with three three-pointers. He has now scored in double figures in each of the last three games he has played, averaging 12.3 points per contest during this stretch.
 
Amaree Abram played the entire 40 minutes against Jax State. One game after helping hold Liberty's leading scorer Kaden Metheny to just three points, he was tasked with guarding the fourth-leading scorer in the country in Jaron Pierre Jr. for the Gamecocks. Pierre Jr. was held to just 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Meanwhile on offense, Abram reached double-digit points for the 14th time this season with 13 points. He hit three triples in the process, giving him multiple three-pointers in 14 of 18 games this season.
 
ABOUT KENNESAW STATE (10-7, 2-2 CUSA)
Kennesaw State got off to a hot start this sea­son, winning five of its first six games includ­ing a 79-77 victory over 24th-ranked Rutgers. Meanwhile, the Owls have gotten off to a 2-2 start in their first season in Conference USA. Their victories have come against Jacksonville State and most recently a 75-69 overtime win versus Sam Houston. KSU has yet to lose in the KSU Convocation Center this season, winning all eight home games.
 
KSU has made a living at getting to the foul line this season. The Owls rank first in CUSA and top 50 in the country in both free throw attempts per game (23.5) and free throws made per game (16.6). They have attempted 20+ free throws in 11 games this season. They made 22 of 32 free throws in their last game against the Bearkats.
 
LA Tech will be facing another good rebound­ing team in Kennesaw State who ranks fourth in the nation in rebounds per game (43.65). The Owls get on the glass on both ends, rank­ing top 15 in the country in both defensive rebounds per game (29.06) and offensive re­bounds per game (14.59). They have pulled down 50+ rebounds five times this season.
 
Adrian Wooley and Simeon Cottle put up points in bunches for the Owls as they average 18.7 and 18.4 points per game, respectively. The scoring duo accounts for 46.4 percent of Kennesaw State's scoring this season. They do their scoring at all three levels, accounting for 202 field goals, 87 three-pointers, and 140 free throws.
 
Wooley, a freshman guard who has earned CUSA Freshman of the Week honors six times already, is averaging 25.6 points over his last five games. Cottle, who is a two-time CUSA Player of the Week award winner this season, ranks fifth in the country in free throw percentage (93.8) and 13th in the nation in three-point attempts (151).
 
THE SERIES
Saturday will mark the first ever meeting between LA Tech and KSU on the hardwood.
 
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