RUSTON – With the holiday spirit in full spring, Louisiana Tech stayed unbeaten at home this season, unwrapping a dominant 90-37 victory over Dallas Christian on Monday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
The No. 1-ranked scoring defense in the country showed its grit again as LA Tech (7-4) held DCC (4-9) to just 23.6 percent shooting from the field and 16.7 percent shooting from three-point range.  The Bulldogs were also bullish on the glass again, outrebounding the Crusaders 55-23. 
 
The 'Dogs were slow offensively out of the gate, holding just an 18-8 advantage midway through the first half.  A made three-pointer by Avery Thomas II then got the offense rolling, outscoring the Crusaders 29-9 the rest of the stanza to take a commanding 47-17 lead into the locker room.
 
LA Tech continued to extend the margin in the second half, shooting 60.0 percent from the field after the break and pushing the lead to as many as 54 points.  Ten of the 11 Bulldogs that played found the scoring column, led by Kaden Cooper who had 24 points (10-of-18 shooting) and added 13 rebounds. 
 
Thomas II also delivered a strong all-around performance with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.  Keegan Rowell was the third Bulldog in double figures with a season-high 10 points.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the win…
"We talked about finishing off the non-conference season the right way.  Not so much looking at the score, but how we wanted to play.  We wanted to play with more assisted baskets coming off a game where we did not.  I thought we did that, but we turned the ball over too much.  We need to be solid and play the right way.  Our defense is probably where we need it to be at this point, but we must find a way to get easier baskets on the offensive end.  That must be in transition, off stops and run outs, scoring at the rim.  We missed a lot of layups and dunks at the rim, which we cannot afford to miss those shots in conference."
 
On Avery Thomas II…
"He came in as a shooter.  He shot 40 percent from three in junior college, but he is not shooting nowhere near that right now.  We told him that in this sport, you get rewarded by doing tough things.  Guys that do not just score.  I think he focused on rebounding today and it gave him a boost of confidence on offense.  If he can keep that mentality, I think we will see him grow faster and eventually the ball will start falling."
 
On getting the team ready for conference play…
"When we started the season at Nevada, I do not think the guys really realized how hard this level is.  And that woke them up a little bit.  It still has not made us have that maturity to go win on the road yet, but it has showed us how hard teams play at home.  We are going to try our best to simulate in practice what it looks like.  How hard teams play.  Until that first five minutes of the game starts though, they will not understand fully how hard conference is."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus Dallas Christian, 2-0.
• LA Tech used its fifth different starting lineup in 11 games played this season.
• LA Tech went a perfect 7-0 in non-conference home games.  The Bulldogs have now been perfect at home in non-conference in six of the last eight seasons (28 of 44 seasons in the TAC).  The team is now 218-22 all-time in non-conference home contests in the TAC.
• The Bulldogs registered their 300th overall win since the 2012-13 season, becoming just the 33rd team in NCAA Division I to reach this milestone during this time span.
• LA Tech's 90 points is the second most scored in a single game this season (second time scoring 90+). 
• LA Tech recorded 55 rebounds, marking the fourth time this season the Bulldogs have pulled down 50+ boards in a single game.  They outrebounded their ninth opponent of the season (out of 11).  It was a +32 rebounding margin, the largest of the season and the largest since Dec. 22, 2005 versus Tougaloo (+40).
• LA Tech eclipsed 20+ assists for the second time this season with 21 dimes.  The Bulldogs also had double-digit steals for just the third time this season with 13.
• The Bulldogs held the Crusaders to 23.6 percent shooting, a season low for a LA Tech opponent.  The 37 points scored by DCC tied for the second fewest allowed this season.
• LA Tech limited DCC to 16.7 percent shooting from three-point range (third time in the last four games a Bulldog opponent has not shot over 20 percent from deep in a game).  Not a single opponent has shot over 31 percent from three this season on the Bulldogs.
• Kaden Cooper registered his third double-double of the season and the sixth of his Bulldog career with 24 points and 13 rebounds.  The 24 points was a season high for the junior (one shy of tying his career high) while it was his third time this season with double-digit boards.  He also recorded a career-high four assists.
• Avery Thomas II tallied his first career double-double as a Bulldog with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.  It marked the second time this season he has led LA Tech in rebounding in a single game.  He also had a season-high three steals.
• Keegan Rowell scored in double figures with 10 points for the first time in his Bulldog career.  He also posted a career-high three steals.
• AJ Bates registered a game-high six assists, marking the seventh time this season with at least five dimes. He also tied his career high with four steals while also tying his season high with five rebounds.
• Kylan Howze tallied two blocks, marking the fourth time this season with multiple rejections in a single game.

UP NEXT
LA Tech begins Conference USA play on Monday, Dec. 29 when the Bulldogs host the UTEP Miners in the TAC.  Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
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