RUSTON – Louisiana Tech put on a show in its first home game of the season, rolling past Lyon College, 93-35, on Sunday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
LA Tech (1-1) shot a blistering 56.9 percent from the field with four Bulldogs scoring in double figures.  And after getting outrebounded by 19 in its season opener, the team flipped the script in that category with a +27-rebounding margin (52-25). 
 
Meanwhile, the defense held Lyon College (1-1) to 25.0 percent shooting while forcing 21 turnovers, turning those in 29 points, and recording 15 steals in a wire-to-wire victory.
 
The Scots hung around in the first half, getting a fastbreak jumper from Kenneth Brown to cut their deficit to 32-20 with 3:29 to play in the stanza. 
 
It was an absolute rout by the Bulldogs after that.
 
LA Tech closed the first period on a 16-2 spurt that was highlighted by three triples from Avery Thomas II and an alley-oop slam by Kaden Cooper.  Capping it off was Cooper pushing the ball up the floor and connecting on a long jumper to beat the game clock, giving LA Tech a 48-22 halftime advantage.
 
The dominance continued in the second half as the home team opened the frame on a 25-0 run, getting scoring from five different Bulldogs (Scots did not score until the 9:38 mark).  A key spark was Jaylen Fenner who got the period started with a four-point play.  The true freshman got the start in just his second game as a Bulldog and tallied 15 points to go along with four steals.
 
Thomas II had 16 of his game-high 18 points in the first half.  Thomas II and Fenner combined to go 12-of-16 from the field and 7-of-9 from beyond the arc.  Cooper finished with a smooth 16 points while Scooter Williams, also making his first career start as a Bulldog, added 10 points.
 
It was gang rebounding for LA Tech as six different players had at least five boards, led by Will Allen and Kylan Howze who each had nine.  Doing the passing was AJ Bates who tallied seven assists.  
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the win…
"I made a commitment to the guys that were doing what we wanted them to do in the game plan.  And then the game changed.  We came out in the second half after challenging them in the locker room.  We are a defensive team, and some guys were worried about individual things a little too much.  That starting group responded and then when I subbed, those guys responded.  We got going, got some easy baskets, and then shots were starting to go in.  Once we started playing the right way, good things happened."
 
On the rebounding…
"That was big emphasis going into this game.  Getting tougher, being able to rebound.  Not just the bigs, but guards too.  We were in no man's land a lot at Nevada so we wanted to focus on it today.  Defensively, we secured the ball, contested shots, and when we started playing defense the way we are capable of we were solid."
 
On Jaylen Fenner getting the start…
"Practice must matter.  That is what I came out of the Nevada game thinking.  I went with the guys who I thought had the best practice habits.  I was proud of Jaylen.  He was all over the basketball, four steals, two assists, no turnovers.  And he was very efficient from the field.  He can be a really good player for us."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series against Lyon College, 2-0. 
• The Bulldogs won their 19th straight victory in a home opener.  LA Tech is now 39-5 all-time in home openers in the TAC.
• Talvin Hester collected his 58th victory, moving up to 10th for most wins ever by a LA Tech head coach.
• LA Tech held Lyon College to 25 percent shooting from the field, the lowest by an opponent since Dec. 5, 2023, at Stephen F. Austin (21.9 percent).
• The Bulldogs held the Scots to just 35 points, the fewest in a single game since Nov. 13, 2015, when LA Tech held Millsaps College to 33 points.  The 35 points was the second fewest allowed by the Bulldogs in the Thomas Assembly Center.
• The 58-point win was the largest margin of victory since Nov. 13, 2025, when LA Tech defeated Millsaps College, 95-33.
• The Bulldogs pulled down 52 rebounds, the most since Dec. 21, 2024, when LA Tech had 56 against Rust College.
• LA Tech generated 15 steals, the most since Nov. 25, 2024, when the Bulldogs had 16 against Southern Illinois in the Gulf Coast Showcase tournament.
• Avery Thomas II scored a game-high 18 points while going 7-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range.  He is the first Bulldog since Amorie Archibald (Jan. 8, 2022) to shoot at least 80 percent from the field (min. eight attempts) and 80 percent from three (min. five attempts).
• Kaden Cooper tallied 16 points, marking his 14th career double-digit scoring game as a Bulldog.
• In just the second game of the season, Jaylen Fenner and Scooter Williams made their first career starts as Bulldogs.  For Fenner, it marked the earliest start for a LA Tech true freshman since 2011 (Speedy Smith).  His 15 points were the third most points scored by a Bulldog true freshman in their first start in the last 15 years.
• AJ Bates dished out a game-high seven assists, marking the fifth time in his career with at least five dimes in a single game.
• Will Allen and Kylan Howze tied for the game high with nine rebounds.  It marked the first time for either player to lead LA Tech in rebounding in a game.
• Kaden Cooper collected two steals, giving him 50 for his Bulldog career (34 games).

UP NEXT
LA Tech hosts Jackson State on Saturday, Nov. 15 inside the TAC.  Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources.  Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes.  Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.   
 
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand.  You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents.  By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way.  Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today.  You bark.  We bark.  Louder together.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Basketball, follow us on X (@LATechHoops), Instagram (@LATechHoops), and Facebook (LATechMBB).