RUSTON – Louisiana Tech spent nearly the entire Saturday afternoon playing from behind, but the Bulldogs delivered when it mattered most, rallying late and pulling off a 70-68 overtime win over Delaware inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
LA Tech (9-7, 2-3 CUSA) trailed almost all of regulation, down by as much as 12 points to Delaware (5-10, 1-4 CUSA), before mounting a late comeback to grab its first lead at the 1:28 mark in the second half to ultimately force the extra period. 
 
The Bulldogs were forced to overcome another deficit in OT, falling behind by four with two minutes remaining.  The home squad would finish strong, outscoring the Blue Hens 7-1 the rest of the way to snatch the victory.
 
Delaware took control of the game early, shooting a blistering 66.7 percent from the field in the first stanza.  Even so, LA Tech took advantage of some UD turnovers to make a quick 7-0 run to trail only 34-29 at the midway point.
 
The 'Dogs started to slowly chip away in the second half, leaning on freshman Jaylen Fenner who scored eight straight points – including two big three-pointers – to knot the game up at 42-42 with 13:00 left in the stanza.
 
UD's Christian Bliss countered with a 7-0 run all his own to put the Blue Hens back in front.  With the visiting team holding a 58-50 advantage with six minutes to play, the Bulldogs went on a 13-3 run with six of those points coming from AJ Bates.  The most important points were a pair of free throws made the sophomore, giving LA Tech its first lead of the contest at the 1:28 mark.
 
It was Bliss again keeping Delaware in it, scoring a layup that made it 63-63.  Bates tried to end things in regulation, but his three-pointer was off the mark, forcing overtime.
 
LA Tech quickly got behind the eight-ball in extras – a sloppy turnover, a foul 23 feet from the basket, and three missed free throws by DJ Dudley.  The result was a three-point deficit that was erased by Dudley who redeemed himself by burying a deep three even things up at 67-67 with 59 ticks left.
 
UD's Jayden Taylor made one of two free throws on the Blue Hens next possession to go back in front by one, but Dudley had his number called again, using a high ball screen to drive hard right and score the layup through contact. 
 
LA Tech needed a big stop on the defensive end and got it as Avery Thomas II switched onto Bliss and contested his 8-foot jumper.  Melian Martinez proceeded to pull down his eighth rebound, get fouled, and make one of two free throws.  Then it was Thomas II again who snagged Delaware's out-of-bounds pass in midair to seal the victory.    
 
Dudley finished with a team-high 17 points, followed by Fenner who tied his career-high with 15.  Bates was the third Bulldog in double figures with 11.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the win…
"We kept hitting the rock.  We had some guys step up.  We were not getting any stops in the first half.  Delaware shot 66 percent from the field.  Even though we were only down five [at halftime], I knew we were not going to win an offensive slug fest.  I found a unit that started getting stops and pushing pace.  That is ultimately what happened.  So proud of Jaylen [Fenner] and Melian [Martinez], they stepped up.  Good teams have guys step up."
 
On Jaylen Fenner…
"I tell him to not put his confidence in the offensive end of the floor, put it in being a defensive stopper.  He locked in on defense, challenging one of the better guards in our league.  He made it tough on him.  Then on the other end, the ball started going in.  I know he had the turnover late, but he made good decisions today."
 
On what changed in the second half…
"We put more ball pressure on the ball.  They felt comfortable in the first half.  We had to make them uncomfortable.  They got us on a few shots on the rim too because our guys were not fighting.  We are not a small team.  We must fight in the post when we make switches.  We made some adjustments and gave ourselves a chance."
 
On DJ Dudley being clutch for the team…
"He could not score it at all in the first half.  He started getting down on himself.  It was like he was thinking too much.  I wanted him to be confident in whatever he did.  I know he has put the work in, and the ball usually goes in when he shoots it.  I called the last play for him as I have done and he executed it, got to the rim and made a great layup."
 
Guard DJ Dudley
 
On what it took to overcome the slow start…
"Coach told us it was going to be a dogfight.  That was our main motivation coming into this game.  We cannot stack losses.  We had to get back into the win column.  We knew it was going to come down to the wire.  We made big plays and came away with the win."
 
On changes on the defensive end…
"We talked about it at halftime.  They were shooting way too high of a clip, getting too many open looks and easy buckets at the rim.  We made more of an effort to scramble, and challenge contested shots."
 
Guard Jaylen Fenner
 
On getting back to owning the paint…
"We needed to finish layups.  Not just the easy ones.  There is going to be contact, you just have to finish strong and through it."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, the LA Tech-Delaware series is now tied at 1-1.
• LA Tech improved to 17-5 all-time in the first matchup against a new CUSA opponent.  The Bulldogs are now 12-0 in such contests at home.
• LA Tech overcame a 12-point deficit to win, the largest of the season.  It was the largest deficit overcome by the Bulldogs since March 2, 2023, when they trailed FIU by 16 and came back to win in overtime.
• The Bulldogs led for only one minute and 31 seconds against Delaware.  It is the shortest amount of time owning a lead in a LA Tech victory since Jan. 1, 2022, versus WKU (led for 0:26).
• LA Tech is now 71-66 all-time in overtime games.  The Bulldogs improved to 21-6 in OT contests in the TAC, having now won five straight.  Head coach Talvin Hester is 8-4 in overtime games.
• The Bulldogs made 19 free throws (second most in a single game this season) while taking 30 free throw attempts (third time this season with 30+ tries at the charity stripe).
• LA Tech had a 37-32 rebounding advantage, winning the battle on the glass for the 11th time in 16 games (have an 8-3 record in such contests).
• The Bulldogs scored 34 points in the paint, marking the 11th time this season with 30+ points in that area. 
• DJ Dudley led the Bulldogs in scoring for a second straight game (team-high seventh time), posting 17 points.  He has now scored in double figures in 10 of the last 12 games.
• DJ Dudley hit his lone three-pointer of the game in overtime, extending his streak with at least one made triple to 11 games. 
• Jaylen Fenner tied his career-high with 15 points (all in the second half) while also tying his career-high for made three-pointers with three.  He played a career-high 32 minutes.
• AJ Bates notched 11 points, marking the ninth time this season he has scored in double figures.  He also tallied a team-high four assists (has had at least three dimes in 15 of the 16 games played this season).
• Melian Martinez played a career-high 27 minutes, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds.  Avery Thomas II matched him with eight rebounds (has 6+ boards in four straight games).

UP NEXT
LA Tech is back at home on Wednesday, Jan. 14 to host Middle Tennessee in the TAC.  Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
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