EL PASO, Texas – Louisiana Tech picked up its first road victory of the season Wednesday night, knocking off UTEP 69-59 inside the Don Haskins Center to complete a season sweep of the Miners.
 
LA Tech (12-8, 5-4 CUSA), now winners of four of its last five, led for more than 30 minutes and never trailed in the second half, using balanced scoring, defensive pressure, and efficient shooting to secure the road victory.
 
DJ Dudley continued to showcase his offensive prowess, pacing the Bulldogs with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting while knocking down four three-pointers. Avery Thomas II spearheaded LA Tech's dominance on the glass, as the Bulldogs outrebounded the Miners 41-28, posting a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. AJ Bates directed the offense, dishing out seven assists to go along with nine points.
 
The bench also provided a lift, led by Scooter Williams with 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Will Allen chipped in eight points and eight boards.
 
UTEP (7-14, 3-7 CUSA) came out firing on all cylinders, making five of its first six field goals to jump out to a 13-4 lead. LA Tech, which has grown accustomed to making comebacks, weathered the early storm by countering with a 10-0 run that featured back-to-back triples by Dudley.
 
The Bulldogs shot 48.3 percent from the floor in the first half, including five three-pointers, to build a 36-27 advantage at the break.
 
Dudley's fourth triple made it a 52-38 lead with 12:20 remaining, matching LA Tech's largest lead of the contest. UTEP fought back, using the free-throw line – where it made 16 of its 17 attempts in the second half – along with a three-pointer from Kaseem Watson to cut the deficit to three at 61-58 with 4:24 still to play.
 
LA Tech's defense responded by holding UTEP scoreless from the field the rest of the way, as the Miners went 0-for-6. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs closed the game at the foul line, scoring their final eight points to seal the win.
 
LA Tech, which made a concerted effort to push the ball in transition, finished with 22 fast-break points and shot efficiently – 45.3 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three-point range, and 77.8 percent at the free-throw line.
 
Defensively, the Bulldogs held UTEP to a season-low 31.5 percent shooting from the field.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the win…
"We dominated on the glass tonight, and we got stops, turning those into easy points.  That gave us a chance.  UTEP is a stingy defense in the halfcourt.  We were able to play in the full court, got some easy baskets.  We were able to finish at the rim, which is something we have been working on.  I was glad about how we responded early in the first half.  I was also glad about how we responded towards the end of the game.  UTEP made a run and got within three, but we got to the line and made free throws.  That is how you can put people away."
 
On the team's defense…
"I saw my guys diving after balls out of bounds, diving into chairs under the baskets.  We played hard tonight.  We did tough things, and those are the types of plays you need to win games."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus UTEP, 23-15.  The Bulldogs swept the season series against the Miners (fifth time doing so) and have now won three straight in the series.
• LA Tech claimed its first road win of the season.  They have also now won four of their last five contests.
• The Bulldogs won their eighth game all-time over the Miners in El Paso.  Since 2020, LA Tech has won five times at UTEP.
• LA Tech collected its 140th career Conference USA win, becoming just the seventh program to reach that milestone since CUSA officially became a league in 1995.
• LA Tech outrebounded UTEP, 41-28.  It marked the seventh time this season the Bulldogs have had at least 10 more boards than their opponent.  It was the ninth time with 40+ rebounds in a single game.
• The Bulldogs scored 22 fast-break points, the second most in a game this season.
• LA Tech registered 30 paint points, marking the 15th time this season the Bulldogs have had at least 30 in a single game.  They have done so in six of the last seven contests.
• The Bulldogs held the Miners to 59 points.  It marked the ninth time this season the No. 2 scoring defense in the country held an opponent to 60 points or less.  Under head coach Talvin Hester, LA Tech is 32-2 when doing so.
• DJ Dudley led the Bulldogs in scoring for the 10th time this season, tallying 20 points.  He has recorded 20+ points in four games this season, including each of the last three.  He is the first Bulldog with three consecutive games of 20+ points since Cobe Williams (2023). 
• Avery Thomas II notched his second double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.  He has led LA Tech in rebounding a team-high eight times (seven of the last 10). 
• Scooter Williams came off the bench to tally 14 points, his ninth game this season in double digits.
• DJ Dudley extended his streak of games with at least one made three-pointer to 15 contests.  He went 4-of-7 from downtown, marking the fourth time this season with at least four made triples. 
• Will Allen set a season high with eight points to go along with eight rebounds (second most in a game this season).
• AJ Bates, making his 20th consecutive start, dished out a game-high seven assists (eighth time this season with at least seven dimes). 

UP NEXT
The road trip continues for LA Tech as they head to Huntsville, Texas on Saturday, Jan. 31 to face Sam Houston.  Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. CT in a nationally televised contest on ESPN2.
 
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