TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Louisiana Tech struggled to score at all three levels in what resulted in a 60-51 loss to Indiana State on Wednesday night inside the Hulman Center.
 
Despite the 11 made threes by the Sycamores (took a whopping 38 attempts to get there), the Bulldogs did enough defensively to give themselves a chance at a road win.  LA Tech (2-2) limited to ISU (3-2) to just 33.3 percent shooting and a season-low in scoring – even fewer than No. 4-ranked Duke did last Friday.
 
However, LA Tech could not capitalize on the offensive end, shooting 28.8 percent from the floor with only two made triples while missing nine of its 20 free throw attempts.
 
The 'Dogs played from behind nearly the entire night with their only lead coming at 4-3 following a driving layup by Jaylen Fenner.  The Sycamores primarily used three-pointers to maintain the lead with seven of their 12 made field goals in the first half coming from downtown. 
 
As a result, LA Tech trailed 30-25 at the midway point.
 
For the most part, Scooter Williams was the only offensive weapon for LA Tech.  The shooting guard had 11 first-half points and then scored the Bulldogs' first eight of the second stanza.
 
With the 'Dogs behind 52-43 with 5:27 to play, they strung together a series of stops and got enough points – four from Will Jeffress and a breakaway dunk by Williams – to slice the deficit down to three with over three minutes remaining.
 
However, LA Tech missed seven of its last eight field goal tries.  Indiana State did not make a field goal in the last five minutes but were able to sink eight free throws to seal it.
 
Williams finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two rejections.  Jeffress was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 11 points and eight boards off the bench. 
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the loss…
"We were atrocious at the rim, we were atrocious from three, and we did not make free throws.  We were just not capitalizing on the offensive end of the floor.  I am a coach that usually talks about defense, but this was not a good offensive game.  We did not give ourselves a chance on the road, even when we were fighting.  We have these guys again in a week."
 
On Scooter Williams' performance…
"That is who he was when we recruited him, so I knew he had it in him.  We must put that with being super solid on the defensive end.  We just did not share the ball well tonight.  We had two assists and 12 turnovers.  It cannot be one-on-one.  Sometimes those lack of assists came from us having downhill drives.  I will find a way to get us right." 
 
NOTABLES

• With the loss, LA Tech now trails in the all-time series against Indiana State, 2-1.
• LA Tech held Indiana State to 33.3 percent shooting from the field.  The Bulldogs have now held three straight opponents to under 35 percent shooting (first time since Jan. 25 – Feb. 1, 2024).  They did so just four times all last season. 
• The Bulldogs pulled down 50 rebounds, marking the third straight game with 50+ boards.  It is the first time in at least 20 years that LA Tech has reached that rebounding mark in three consecutive contests. 
• LA Tech has scored 20+ bench points in all four games this season.  The Bulldogs had 20 such points versus the Sycamores.
• Scooter Williams registered the first double-double of the season for the Bulldogs with 23 points and 11 rebounds.  He is only the fourth LA Tech guard in the last 10 years with a 20/10 game (first since 2023). 
• Will Jeffress had his third career double-digit scoring game as a Bulldog, posting 11 points.

UP NEXT
LA Tech will be back home on a week to battle Indiana State again, this time inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.  The matchup, part of a multi-team event, will take place Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
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