RUSTON – Louisiana Tech closes out the regular season on Saturday versus UTEP inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court. Daniel Batcho and Ben Ponder will be honored pregame as part of Senior Day.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, March 8 | 2 p.m. CT
Location: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
Tickets: LATechSports.com/WeekendPass ($5)
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (19-11, 8-9 CUSA)
LA Tech suffered its third straight home loss on Thursday, fall­ing 67-55 to New Mexico State. The Bulldogs two worst offensive performances of the season both came against the Aggies. In both meetings, LA Tech shot a combined 32.3 percent from the field and 21.3 percent from three-point range.
 
The Bulldogs were able to outscore the Aggies by two in the second half, but the 14-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome. Even so, the second half has been the stanza that has favored LA Tech the most this season, scoring 40+ points in 15 of the 30 games (averaging 39.4 points) with a shooting percent­age of 50.0 percent.
 
The Bulldogs uncharacteristically missed five of their first 11 free throw attempts against New Mexico State, but they did make 11 of their last 12 from the foul line for 73.9 percent. LA Tech has now made 77 of its last 90 free throws (85.5 percent). The team currently ranks second in CUSA and 49th in the coun­try in free throw percentage at 75.9, which would set a new LA Tech program record for a single season (record is 74.2 percent set back in 1976-77).
 
Al Green scored a team-high 13 points versus the Aggies, the sixth time this season leading LA Tech in scoring. The Bulldogs have had a different player lead the team in scoring each of the last five contests. Green has scored in double figures in three of the last four games, averaging 12.0 points during that stretch while shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (has hit at least three triples in three of the games).
 
Sean Newman Jr. returned to action after missing the Sam Houston game due to injury. He promptly dished out five assists, marking the 26th time this season with at least five dimes. That is the third most in program history and tied for the fourth most in the country this season. He continues to rank third in the na­tion in both total assists (233) and assists per game (8.0). His 233 assists are now tied for the seventh most in CUSA history.
 
Daniel Batcho reached double-digit points for the 27th time this season, going a perfect 3-of-3 from the field for 12 points against New Mexico State. He also recorded 10 rebounds, giving him his sixth double-double of the season (17th of his Bulldog career). He continues to rank second in the country in field goal percentage (68.9), a mark that would currently set a new program history and be tied for the second best in CUSA history.
 
He also registered one block versus the Aggies, giving him 60 for the season which ranks 27th in the nation. He became just the fourth Bulldog in program history with back-to-back seasons of 60+ blocks (had 67 last season).
 
ABOUT UTEP (17-13, 7-10 CUSA)
UTEP got off to a strong start in CUSA play, winning four of its first five games including a road sweep at Liberty and FIU. However, the Miners have only won three times since Jan. 18 including a current stretch of six straight losses.
 
UTEP nearly snapped its losing skid on Thurs­day at Sam Houston, but the Miners fell to the Bearkats by a final score of 89-87. They have lost their last four games by a combined 18 points including one overtime defeat. The Miners are 4-7 in true road games this sea­son, having dropped five of the last six.
 
The one area that UTEP excels at more than any other is forcing turnovers. The Miners continue to rank top 10 in the country in turnovers forced per game (16.30), turnover margin (4.4) and steals per game (10.3). Four different Miners have 40+ steals this season. Those numbers have not dropped off much during league play as the Miners are averaging 9.4 steals and a turnover margin of 3.7.
 
The top Miner is Otis Frazier III. The forward leads the team in almost every statistical cat­egory including points per game (13.6), steals per game (2.3), and blocks per game (0.7). His steals average and total steals rank top 20 in the country. He also ranks second in the squad in rebounds and assists.
 
Two other Miners are averaging double-digit points as well in Ahamad Bynum and Corey Camper Jr. at 10.6 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Bynum is the primary shooting threat, having hit 68 three-pointers with a shooting percentage of 46.3 from deep.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech and UTEP will meet for the 36th time on Saturday. The two programs met six times between 1952 and 1999 before becoming league foes in the Western Athletic Confer­ence.
 
The Bulldogs and Miners rejoined as confer­ence mates in Conference USA in 2013. Since then, LA Tech holds a 13-7 advantage in the series. The 'Dogs had won three straight be­fore the Miners snapped that streak with a 70- 60 victory in the CUSA opener this season in El Paso. LA Tech has won 12 of the 14 matchups in Rus­ton, including eight of the last nine.
 
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