RUSTON – Louisiana Tech hits the road to battle Georgia Southern on Wednesday night. This matchup is part of a home-and-home series as the Eagles visited Ruston last season.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Wednesday, Dec. 3 | 6 p.m. CT
Location: Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center (Statesboro, Ga.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network (107.5 FM) | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (4-2)
After holding a slim 7-point advantage at halftime, LA Tech exploded for 46 second-half points, making 20 of its 33 field goal attempts in the stanza to route Alcorn State, 83-58, and go a per­fect 2-0 in its home multi-team event. The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest, improving to 4-0 all-time versus the Braves while remaining unbeaten at the Thomas Assembly Center this season.
 
The defense was stout again for the Bulldogs, holding their fourth opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field (all four were held to 60 or less points). LA Tech ranks 15th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 59.0 points per contest. Opponents are shooting just 36.7 percent from the field and 26.8 percent from three-point range. No opponent this season has shot over 30 percent from beyond the arc against the Bulldogs.
 
AJ Bates had his best game as a Bulldog, registering a ca­reer-high 26 points to go along with six assists and three boards (and zero turnovers for the point guard). The sophomore was extremely efficient from the field, going 10-of-14 while sinking a career-best four three-pointers. It was his second career 20+ scoring performance. He has scored 15+ points in three of the last four contests and is currently pacing the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game.
 
DJ Dudley, Sir Issac Herron, and Kaden Cooper each came off the bench to score in double figures in both MTE contests against Indiana State and Alcorn State. The trio combined for 69 points for an average of 34.5 points per game. Bench scoring has been critical for the Bulldogs this season, averaging 37.83 points per contest which ranks 19th in the country. They have outscored their opponents' bench 227-101 through six games this season.
 
LA Tech's length has shown in its rebounding and rim protec­tion. The Bulldogs have outrebounded their last five opponents, including a +9 advantage against Alcorn. In four of those games, the 'Dogs have pulled down 15+ offensive boards. They also tied their season high with eight rejections versus the Braves and are now averaging 6.0 blocks per game, ranking 12th nationally.
 
ABOUT GEORGIA SOUTHERN (4-5)
Georgia Southern snapped its four-game los­ing streak this past Saturday with an 80-62 victory over Houston Christian. The Eagles im­proved to 3-0 at home this season.
Prior to the win, Georgia Southern had lost back-to-back road games at Georgia Tech and Florida State as well as both contests versus Youngstown State and UTSA in the Jackson­ville Classic.
The Eagles were picked to finish 10th in the Sun Belt Conference preseason coaches poll. They won 17 games a season ago, improving by eight victories under head coach Charlie Henry.
 
The Eagles like to pressure the basketball, so much so they average 15.44 forced turnovers per game as well as 9.0 steals per contest, both of which rank top 60 in the country. Georgia Southern has forced 15+ turnovers four times this season while registering 10+ steals on five different occasions.
 
Tyren Moore was selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team by the coaches. The guard was a Second Team All-Sun Belt selec­tion in 2024 after leading the Eagles in almost every statistical category including scoring at 17.0 points per game. Following a one-year stint at UAB, Moore has returned to Georgia Southern where he previ­ously spent two seasons, having started in all nine games while averaging 12.0 points per contest. He has made 27 three-pointers so far this season, which ranks 18th in the country.
 
Spudd Webb, a graduate transfer from Em­manuel, is the top scorer for the Eagles cur­rently at 14.4 points per game. He opened his career at Georgia Southern with four straight games scoring in double figures, including a season-high 25 against UNC Asheville. Webb is one of four Eagles averaging at least 11 points per contest. He also anchors the team in total assists (25) and total steals (16).
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech leads the all-time series versus Georgia Southern, 4-1. Trailing much of the game last season versus the Eagles, the Bulldogs went on a 29-11 run over the last 12 minutes to come away with a 77-63 victory inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
The first ever meeting between the two programs came in 1961 with LA Tech winning, 56-54, in Ruston. The only time the Bulldogs have faced the Eagles in Statesboro was in the 1969-70 season opener with LA Tech edging Georgia Southern, 80-77.
 
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