LAFAYETTE, La. – After shooting five over on the front nine of round three, Louisiana Tech made a charge on the back to help climb two spots on the team leaderboard and finish seventh Tuesday at the 40th annual Louisiana Classics.
 
 The charge started on the Par 5 No. 11 when LA Tech shot a combined six under.  That momentum carried throughout the back nine as three Bulldogs shot under par over the final nine holes.  The team ended up shooting 289 (+1) to close out the event hosted by UL-Lafayette at Oakbourne Country Club.
 
On the player leaderboard, Niilo Maki-Petaja jumped 14 spots to finish tied for 14th (75-71-69=215), his fifth top-20 finish of the season.  The sophomore used a 33 on the back, including an eagle on the Par 5 No. 11, to shoot 69 (-3) in the final round. 
 
Freddie Surgey shot 73 (+1) for the third straight round, tying for 26th (73-73-73=219) as an individual which is his best finish this season.  The freshman was three over through seven holes, but closed strong with birdies on No. 8, No. 11, and No. 13.
 
Riley Hnatyshyn rebounded Tuesday by shooting 73 (+1), his best round of the event.  The fourth scorecard used in round three was that of Morton Bailey who shot 74 (+2), going 39 on the front and 35 on the back that had one birdie on No. 11 and eight pars.  The freshman tied for 28th, his second-best finish of the season.
 
Oskari Schuvalow also shot 74 (+2) while Isaac Adams, playing in his second event of the season, shot 79 (+7) in round three.
 
Seventh-ranked LSU would win the team title on the final hole, edging 24th-ranked Texas A&M by two strokes.  
 
NOTABLES

• LA Tech picked up wins over Middle Tennessee, Rice, Oral Roberts, Illinois State, and Texas State.
• Three Bulldogs finished in the top 30 on the player leaderboard, marking the second time this season that has happened (GMAC Invitational).
• The Bulldogs shot 287 (-1) in round two, their 10th round under par as a team this season.
• Niilo Maki-Petaja now has 17 rounds at or under par this season, fourth most in program history.  He has recorded multiple rounds at or under par in five of the eight tournaments.
• Niilo Maki-Petaja has shot three under or better in 10 rounds this season.
• Niilo Maki-Petaja made his sixth eagle of the season while Isaac Adams made his first.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will be back in action next week as they take part in the Linger Longer Invitational, hosted by Kennesaw State on March 16-18 in Greensboro, Georgia at Reynolds Lake Oconee. 
 
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