RUSTON – Down 20 points and ice cold from beyond the arc, Louisiana Tech once again found itself staring at a familiar script against Middle Tennessee.
 
This time, the ending belonged to the Bulldogs.
 
DJ Dudley buried a contested three with 4.7 seconds remaining – LA Tech's first and only made three of the night – to cap a stunning comeback as the Bulldogs erased a massive deficit and stunned the Blue Raiders, 59-58, Wednesday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
Much like the previous meeting 12 days ago in Murfreesboro, LA Tech (10-7, 3-3 CUSA) was all out of sorts while MTSU (10-7, 4-2 CUSA) ran away with the lead.  Last time, the Blue Raiders used a barrage of three-pointers.  This time, they were dominating inside on both ends.
 
The lead ballooned to 34-14 for the visiting team after Kamari Lands' dunk with 6:06 left before halftime.  MTSU took a 40-21 advantage into the locker room, holding LA Tech to just 20.7 percent shooting and a 0-for-4 mark from three.
 
This time instead of the lead growing for the Blue Raiders, it kept shrinking.  And shrinking.
 
LA Tech came out with renewed energy on both ends, leaning on its defense and attacking the paint to chip away at the deficit.  The Bulldogs opened the second half with a quick 7-0 run to get the deficit down to 12 just three minutes into the stanza.
 
Ultimately, LA Tech used a 16-3 run to start the second half, getting a reverse layup by AJ Bates to make it a six-point deficit with still 12:50 to play in the contest.
 
MTSU was holding onto the lead for dear life, making just one field goal in the final 5-plus minutes.  That one was a big one though as Tre Green connected on a three-pointer from the wing to make it 58-51 in favor of the Blue Raiders with 3:31 left.
 
With head coach Talvin Hester riding pretty much the same lineup for the entire second half, LA Tech looked as though it may have run out of gas.  But that was not the case as the Bulldogs had one more run in them.
 
Dudley got it started at the 2:41 mark, sinking all three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt to get back to within four.  After another defensive stop, Jaylen Fenner made a strong move to the basket to make it a one-possession game.
 
The home crowd got an assist on the ensuing play as MTSU's Torey Alston missed both of his free throw attempts, keeping the score at 58-56.  LA Tech had two tries to tie or take the lead, but Fenner's three-pointer from the corner was off the mark, now making it 0-for-11 from deep for the team.  Then it was Bates who missed on his floater in the lane.
 
With 37 ticks to go, the Bulldogs got yet another defensive stop, but the ball went out of bounds as players were fighting for the rebound.  Initially called Blue Raiders ball, the officials overturned the call, giving LA Tech one last chance.
 
Both Dudley and Bates tried to get downhill for a potentially game-tying shot at the rim, but all attempts were unsuccessful.  Ultimately, Bates kicked the ball out to Dudley who side-stepped his defender and let it fly from three in front of the team bench.
 
Nothing but net.  
 
As was the case for the entire second half, LA Tech made another defensive stand, forcing a missed shot by MTSU to complete the second-largest comeback in the last 50 years.
 
The Bulldogs outscored the Blue Raiders, 38-18, in the last 20 minutes.  Dudley finished with a game-high 19 points while Fenner and Bates tallied 12 and 10 points, respectively.  Avery Thomas II controlled the glass all night for LA Tech, finishing with a career-tying 15 boards.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the comeback win…
"We played the best and worst basketball of the year in the same game.  Luckily, we were able to come out on top.  We dug a ditch that most people do not get out of.  This was not a basketball issue.  Our attitudes were not right, we were not together as a team.  We were not executing.  We had open layups and dunks, and they were getting blocked.  But our challenge was to take it a play at a time and start fighting.  At halftime, we talked about having fight and pride.  We came out and got three quick baskets and made it a 13-point deficit which is manageable.  We kept defending and doing it together.  We had some guys really step up."
 
On DJ Dudley's game-winner…
"He said in a post that when he gets a chance at a game-winner, no matter how I am shooting [up to that point] I make them.  That has been true.  When we got the ball back, I knew I was putting it in his hands.  We do not get to that point though if it was not for the rebounding and defense and the execution down the stretch.  The mental toughness to play through fatigue."
 
On Avery Thomas II…
"He has been growing.  I think the thing that has been growing more for him is mentally.  He has had to get adjusted.  His attitude and approach are what has helped him."
 
Guard DJ Dudley
 
On the message at halftime…
"The coaches told us we were not moving with pace.  We were out there just to be out there.  It was almost like the first game played them and got blown out.  Internally, we told each other that we needed to lock in, keep our heads up, and make a comeback."
 
On hitting the game-winner…
"Shout out to my teammates for trusting me.  If it is a clutch situation, I am going to hit the shot.  I trust myself.  I feel like no matter what happens in that situation, I am going to be confident and feel like I am going to make the shot.
 
Forward Avery Thomas II
 
On bringing more energy in the second half…
"My shot has not been falling, so I need to make an impact somewhere else.  My teammates had the offensive end, and I was going to take care of the defensive end, get every rebound and has many stops as I could."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus Middle Tennessee, 18-10.  The Bulldogs improved to 12-2 all-time versus the Blue Raiders in Ruston.
• The 20-point come-from-behind-win was the second largest in the last 50 years (largest since Dec. 12, 2009, when LA Tech overcame a 22-point deficit to defeat Centenary).
• LA Tech held MTSU to just 58 points, marking the sixth time in the series the Bulldogs kept the Blue Raiders to under 60 points.   
• The 59 points was the fewest scored in a Bulldog win since Dec. 5, 2023, when LA Tech defeated Stephen F. Austin, 56-49. 
• LA Tech improved to 10-1 at home this season.  The Bulldogs have now won double-digit home games in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
• LA Tech is now 3-0 this in games decided by one possession.
• The Bulldogs used their sixth different starting lineup of the season – DJ Dudley, AJ Bates, Jaylen Fenner, Avery Thomas II, and Melian Martinez.
• DJ Dudley reached double-digit points for the 11th time in the last 13 games.  It marked the eighth time this season he has led the Bulldogs in scoring.  It was also the third time this season he has made the go-ahead basket with less than 25 seconds left.
• With the game-winning three, DJ Dudley extended his streak to 12 consecutive games making at least one three-pointer.  He was also a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, the second time this season a Bulldog has shot 100 percent from the charity stripe with at least eight attempts (AJ Bates went 9-for-9 against UL-Lafayette).
• Jaylen Fenner scored in double figures for a second straight game (third time this season) with 12 points.  In doing so, he played a career-high 33 minutes of action.
• AJ Bates dished out a game-high five assists, marking the ninth time this season the sophomore has had at least five dimes in a single game.
• Avery Thomas II tied his career high with 15 rebounds.  He is the first Bulldog since Daniel Batcho (2023-24) to have multiple games with at least 15 boards in the same season.  The sophomore also registered a season-tying three steals.
• Melian Martinez matched his career high in playing time with 27 minutes.  He tallied a team-high three blocks, marking the fourth time this season he has recorded three rejections in a single game.

UP NEXT
LA Tech will head to Jacksonville, Alabama on Saturday, Jan. 17 to take on Jax State.  Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
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