RUSTON – Louisiana Tech gets set to host Lyon College Sunday afternoon for its home opener inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 9 | 2 p.m. CT
Location: Thomas Assembly Center
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Video: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
Tickets: LATechSports.com/Tickets
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (0-1)
LA Tech suffered a 77-50 loss at Nevada to open the season. Im­pacting the result was the Wolf Pack having a 45-26 rebounding advantage, including 17 offensive boards that were turned into 21 second-chance points. As was the Bulldogs ineffectiveness from the perimeter, finishing just 3-of-22 from beyond the arc.  
 
Starting the new season on the road is not new to LA Tech, having started out away from home 19 times in the last 25 years. However, it is not the most common thing across college bas­ketball. For instance, the Bulldogs were one of only two of the 12 CUSA teams to open on the road (the other being Delaware).
 
Seven players saw their first career action in a Bulldog uniform in the game at Nevada. Two of them -- Avery Thomas II and Kylan Howze -- earned their first LA Tech start.
 
AJ Bates got the starting nod at point guard at Nevada. It marked the fifth start ever for the sophomore, registering a team-high nine points to go along with three assists and two boards. In the five games Bates has started, he is averaging 11.2 points per contest.
 
Kaden Cooper was the Bulldogs leading rebounder versus the Wolf Pack with five boards. Of the 33 career games played at LA Tech, Cooper has been the top rebounder for the 'Dogs in 19 of them. Dating back to last season, he has led LA Tech in rebound­ing in five consecutive games.
 
The new bigs showed promise in the season opener. The trio of Kylan Howze, Melian Martinez, and Sir Issac Herron combined for 15 points (6-of-7 shooting) as well as five blocks. LA Tech registered eight rejections, the most in a single game since the Bulldogs had eight in the 2024-25 season opener versus LSU-Alexandria.
 
ABOUT LYON COLLEGE (1-0)
Lyon College, in Batesville, Arkansas, com­petes in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). Effective Sept. 1, 2025, the NCAA Division III Membership Commit­tee approved Lyon College's active Division III membership, paving the way for the col­lege's student-athletes to compete in national championships beginning with the 2025–26 academic year.
 
The Scots are led by fifth-year head coach Rodney Mayes who has guided the program to back-to-back 18-win seasons as well as back-to-back appearances in the USCAA Small College National Tournament, making the semifinals last season and the championship game the season before.
 
Lyon College was voted to finish second in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's 2025 preseason poll. The Scots received 52 points to be ranked 2nd in the SLIAC poll behind Webster University. They went 14-4 in conference last season, in route to an 18-9 finish to the season.
 
Lyon College opened the 2025-26 season with a 65-62 home victory over Austin College. Trailing by six with 4:30 to go, the Scots out­scored the Kangaroos 15-6 the rest of the way. Trevon Taylor scored seven of those points, including a key three-pointer that broke a 59-59 tie. Two clutch free throws by Kenne­dy Warren and a defensive step in the closing seconds gave Lyon College the win. Taylor finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech and Lyon College have played each other just one time. That too was a home opener for the Bulldogs as they battled the Scots in 2023, prevailing 100-43. It marked the 80th time in program history that the team reached the century mark in a single game.
 
Despite it only being two years ago, only one active Bulldog played in that game, and it was Will Allen who got the start and registered eight points and eight rebounds.
 
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