RUSTON – A new conference foe and a national stage await Louisiana Tech on Thursday night as the Bulldogs travel to Missouri State for a CUSA clash on CBS Sports Network.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 12 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Great Southern Bank Arena (Springfield, Mo.)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (13-10, 6-6 CUSA)
LA Tech exacted revenge on Sam Houston with an 87-78 victory this past Saturday at home. The game carried added significance with the retiring of LA Tech Hall of Famer Paul Millsap's No. 24 jersey. The Bulldogs dominated the paint on both ends -- 48-16 scoring differen­tial in paint points and 46-30 advantage on the boards -- to snap the Bearkats seven-game winning streak.
 
The Bulldogs continued their relentless effort on the glass, pulling down 46 boards against the Bearkats (11th time this season with 40+ rebounds). LA Tech, who has outrebounded 16 of its 23 opponents this season, including eight times with a double-digit advantage, currently ranks in top 35 in the nation in several rebounding catego­ries including 34th in rebounds per game (39.74), 18th in offensive rebounds per game (13.70), and 27th in rebounding margin (+6.8).
 
The 'Dogs registered 18 offensive rebounds versus Sam Houston, marking the 11th time this season with 15+ offensive boards. It is the first time since 2014 that LA Tech has had back-to-back games with 18+ offensive rebounds (had 22 in the previous contest against New Mexico State). Over the last three games, the Bulldogs are averaging 18.3 offensive boards.
 
AJ Bates registered a game-high 21 points, his second 20+ scoring performance of the season and the third of his Bulldog career. He made 11 free throws in the process, the most this season by any Bull­dog. The sophomore also dished out a game-high six assists, marking the 14th time this season with at least five dimes (has done so in five straight games). He currently ranks top 50 in the country in both total assists (127) and assists per game (5.5).
 
After not seeing any playing time in the previous five games, Kaden Cooper came off the bench to stuff the stat sheet with 16 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks (fourth double-double of the season). His rebounding average bumped up to 7.9 boards per game, which ranks third in CUSA and 78th in the nation. Meanwhile, Avery Thomas II posted his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards against Sam Houston. The forward also had a season-high four steals, which tied his career high.
 
Scooter Williams extended his streak of consecutive games by scoring in double figures to five with 10 points versus Sam Houston. During this stretch, he is averaging 18.2 points while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from beyond the arc.

LA Tech scored 44 bench points versus Sam Houston, it's most in a CUSA game since Feb. 26, 2021, versus Rice (scored 46). Sir Issac Herron was a big reason for that, tallying a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. The forward also had a season-high three blocks.
 
ABOUT MISSOURI STATE (13-10, 7-5 CUSA)
Missouri State, playing in its first season in Conference USA, got off to a strong start in league action by winning four of their first five contests. The Aggies then split a four-game road swing, picking up a pair of victories at New Mexico State and UTEP. As of late, MSU has dropped two of its last three with losses to Sam Houston and most recently a 79-76 de­feat at league leader Liberty.
 
The Aggies, who were picked to finish last in the CUSA preseason poll, trailed by 20 with 12 minutes remaining versus the Flames but made a furious comeback to get to within two. They are currently alone in fourth place in the league standings.
 
Missouri State likes to get to the foul line, a place where they average 24.3 free throw attempts per game which ranks 47th in the country. The Bears have attempted 20+ free throws in 10 of their 12 conference games. One of those was a 29-for-39 effort at the char­ity stripe versus New Mexico State.
 
Missouri State has a three-headed monster in the scoring department. Anchoring the pack is forward Keith Palek III, a transfer from California (Pa.), who is averaging 18.2 points per contest which is ranks third in the league. Then there is forward Michael Osei-Bonsu and guard Kobi Williams who are averaging 14.3 and 14.0 points, respectively.
 
The trio have accounted for 58.3 percent of MSU's scoring this season. All three also rank in the top 16 in scoring during league play only with Palek III sitting in second right around his season av­erage at 18.3 points per game. He has scored 20+ points in five of the last eight conference games, including a 25-point effort at Liberty this past Saturday.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech and MSU have met only twice with the Bears winning both matchups. The first meeting came with the Bulldogs taking part in the Pizza Hut Classic in 1998. LA Tech defeat­ed UT Pan American before falling to MSU, 86-60.
 
The second matchup occurred in 2010 in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament after the Bulldogs advanced with a 66-57 win over Southern Miss. With LA Tech playing without leading scorer Kyle Gibson, MSU went on to win the game 69-40 and win the CIT title.
 
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