RUSTON – Louisiana Tech had its nine-game home winning streak come to an end Thursday, falling 72-56 to Liberty inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
Facing one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, LA Tech (8-7, 1-3 CUSA) matched LU (12-3, 4-0 CUSA) as both squads went exactly 9-of-24 from beyond the arc.
 
The difference in the game ended up being the paint where the Flames had a 28-18 scoring advantage and figured out a way to outrebound the Bulldogs, 41-33. 
 
It was Zach Cleveland, who is known more for his rebounding and distributing, that gave Liberty the early offensive advantage.  The forward scored all 10 of his points in the first eight minutes of the game, helping the Flames race out to a 21-10 lead.
 
For LA Tech, it was DJ Dudley's turn to get hot.  The junior got started with a steal and fastbreak layup followed by a three-pointer to spark a 7-0 run by the 'Dogs to get the deficit down to four.  However, threes from three different Flames players pushed their lead back to double-digits, but not before Dudley beat the clock with a banked-in triple to make it a 34-27 game at halftime.
 
The Bulldogs made it a six-point game twice in the early second half, once on a three-pointer by AJ Bates and again on a thundering dunk by Sir Issac Herron.  Unfortunately, LA Tech could never string together enough defensive stops in order to eat into the deficit anymore.
 
There were a pair of chances following threes from Bates and Scooter Williams, but for the entire second stanza the Bulldogs never scored more than four points in a row.  Meanwhile, the Flames were even more efficient offensively, going 12-of-24 in that second 20-minute stretch.
 
Free throws also played a key role as LU went 13-of-16 from the charity stripe while LA Tech was only able to make five of its 11 attempts. 
 
Dudley finished with a game-high 17 points as the lone scorer in double figures for the 'Dogs.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
Opening statement…
"We did not capitalize when we had chances.  And when we made mistakes, they made us pay for them.  We did not make them pay when they made mistakes.  If you would have told me before the game that we would hit nine three-pointers and they would hit nine three-pointers, I would have told you we had a chance to win the basketball game.  We fouled a little bit too much, and we got outrebounded.  I did not think we finished well at the rim.  And when there were crucial times, we made key mistakes."
 
On the difference in the paint…
"Rebounding is an effort deal.  It is a choice.  Good teams do what they are supposed to do.  The result does not always come out your way, but the effort must be there.  If you do that, you give yourself a chance."
 
On DJ Dudley…
"He was on fire there in the first half, but then Liberty really started paying attention to him in the second half.  We need to learn that when somebody has it going like that, we need to find him more.  We must learn that it is not about me, it is about we."
 
NOTABLES

• With the loss, LA Tech now trails in the all-time series versus Liberty, 3-2.  It was the first home loss for the Bulldogs against the Flames.
• LA Tech had its streak of nine straight home wins snapped.  The Bulldogs are now 8-1 at home this season. 
• The Bulldogs were outrebounded by eight (33-41), the second largest margin of the season.
• DJ Dudley scored a game-high 17 points.  The junior has now scored in double figures in nine of the last 11 games.  He also hit three triples, extending his streak with at least one three-pointer to 10 games.  He has made multiple threes seven times.
• Avery Thomas II pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, marking the fourth time this season leading the Bulldogs on the boards.  It was the second time with double-digit rebounds.
• AJ Bates dished out three assists.  The sophomore has registered at least three dimes in 14 of the 15 games this season.

UP NEXT
LA Tech is back in action Saturday when the Bulldogs host the Delaware Blue Hens.  Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
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