RUSTON – The Lady Techsters cap off another 2-0 week, defeating Jacksonville State 71-51 in the Thomas Assembly Center Saturday afternoon, their eighth win in a row.
 
Defenses held strong in the first quarter with no points in the first two minutes for either team. After scoring the opening points, Jacksonville State quickly sprung a 7-0 nothing run, the second largest deficit the Lady Techsters have faced in conference play. Louisiana Tech was ice-cold, starting 0-6 from the field with three turnovers during the run. Kaleigh Thompson's layup out of the media sparked an 11-2 run to help LA Tech take the lead, capped off by a Jianna Morris buzzer three. Joy Madison-Key made an immediate difference, dishing three assists and having a +9 plus/minus.
 
Paris Bradley's layup extended the lead to 17-9, marking 15 unanswered Lady Techsters points. Both teams traded baskets throughout the second with LA Tech's lead hovering in the double digits. Louisiana Tech would not score in the last two minutes, holding a 30-19 lead heading into the locker rooms. Kaleigh Thompson led the team with eight points and shot 4-4 from the field while Averi Aaron made her mark on the glass, grabbing a team high seven boards.
 
The third quarter was all Lady Techsters. The first 10 points were scored by five different scorers and the lead ballooned to as much as 25. While never ripping a run greater than six in a row, LA Tech poured in 30 points in the frame, the most the Lady Techsters have scored in conference play. Jianna Morris capped the quarter with another buzzer beating three pointer, taking a 60-36 lead to the benches. Eight different Lady Techsters scored in the frame and shot 78.6 percent from the field as a team, the second highest mark of the season in a quarter. Madison-Key continued to dish the ball at a high rate, racking in four assists.
 
Louisiana Tech slowed down in the fourth, but the lead only slipped under 20 points once. A last second Jacksonville State layup finalized the score 71-51 Lady Techsters, their eighth win in a row.
 
The bench for Louisiana Tech continued to shine. Joy Madison-Key assisted a season high eight times, tying Paris Bradley against FIU for the most on the season. Madison-Key was +24 on the game, while Kaliegh Thompson was +20 with 11 points and seven rebounds.
 
Averi Aaron nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Her nine rebounds led the team and is the most rebounds a Lady Techster has grabbed since Aaron had 10 against Delaware.
 
Louisiana Tech scored 40 points in the paint, the second most during their win streak. LA Tech also outscored the Gamecocks in points from turnovers, second chance points, fast break points, and bench points. This is the second time in conference play for the Lady Techsters to lead in all five categories.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Brooke Stoehr
Really proud of our team today. Once our group slowed down and settled in the first quarter, it felt like we started attacking and playing downhill like we wanted to. KT and Joy have been huge off the bench for us and they really help us push in transition. It is a great luxury to have four players handle the perimeter they way our guards can. We are still a young team that needs to learn to take care of the ball and get to our spots, but we are starting to understand scout our players have been locked in. We have started to enjoy the dirty work and we are having a lot of fun. They show up with a smile on their face every day and pull for each other, their chemistry just makes this an enjoyable experience.

On the crowd today
The crowd was phenomenal today. People are learning that this is a fun group to watch and I hope we can continue to pack the TAC with four home games left in the season.
 
Guard Paris Bradley
On getting out of the early 7-0 hole
Finding the connection on defense and communicating with each other helped us get into the game. It is reassuring to know we can rely on our teammates to help get us going.

Guard Joy Madison-Key
On leading the team in assists
It is easy when I can trust my teammates the way I am able to. I know they can deliver and it makes it fun to share the ball.
 
NOTABLES

• Down 7-0 in the first quarter is the second largest deficit the Lady Techsters have faced during conference play.
• 30 points in the third quarter is the most LA Tech have scored in a quarter during conference play, the third most this season.
• The Lady Techsters shot 78.6 percent from the field in the third quarter, the highest mark in conference play and the second highest mark this season.
• Averi Aaron was one rebound away from a double-double.
• Jianna Morris went 2-5 from the three point line, extending her streak to 26 games in a row with a three pointer.
• Paris Bradley led the team with 13 points, her 10^th time leading the team in scoring this season. Bradley has scored in double-figures 12 games in a row.
• Louisiana Tech had 20 assists, the eighth time this season to dish at least 20.
• Joy Madison-Key led the team with eight assists, tying the most this season with Paris Bradley who had eight against FIU last week.
• The Lady Techsters have won their last two games by an average margin of 24.
• Louisiana Tech during their eight game win streak have won seven by at least double-figures.

UP NEXT
Louisiana Tech head west to face UTEP and New Mexico State on the road. Tipoff against UTEP is set for 8:00 p.m. CT on February 5^th and will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
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