RUSTON – Louisiana Tech built a big first-half cushion and survived a late surge to defeat Jacksonville State 77-71 on Wednesday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
LA Tech (15-11, 8-7 CUSA) rode the hot hand of AJ Bates, who controlled the game as both a scorer and facilitator.  The sophomore registered a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 15 assists, the most ever by a Bulldog in a CUSA game.  He also contributed four rebounds and three steals to stuff the stat sheet.
 
Bates and the Bulldogs set the tone immediately, jumping out to a 20-9 lead following the third made triple by Avery Thomas II.  LA Tech would close the first stanza on a 9-0 run to build a 39-20 advantage at the midway point.
 
It was arguably the Bulldogs' most complete half of the season.  They shot a blistering 56.7 percent from the field while stifling Jax State (13-13, 8-7 CUSA) who mustered just seven made field goals while shooting 26.9 percent.
 
Coming out of the locker room, DJ Dudley sank a mid-range jumper to give the Bulldogs their largest lead in the contest at 41-20 with 19:36 still remaining. 
 
Then came the scoring wave of the Gamecocks.  AC Bryant and Mostapha El Moutaouakkil, who combined for just 10 points in the first half, lit up the nets in the second half pouring in a combined 34 points.
 
LA Tech maintained a double-digit lead deep into the second half, leading 71-56 at the 4:19 mark.  Turnovers and defensive miscues allowed Jax State to go on a quick 9-0 run to get to within six. 
 
While the Bulldogs went the final 4+ minutes without a made field goal, the Gamecocks were steadily chipping away.  The visitors would get as close as three points at 74-71 with 53 ticks to go, but Dudley sank three free throws to secure the victory.
 
For the game, LA Tech shot 54.7 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from long range.  Dudley finished with a team-high 22 points while Bates, Avery Thomas II, and Melian Martinez each tallied 13.  Thomas II also pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the win…
"Our lack of maturity as a team showed.  We came out with the fire to defend, guarding the ball.  In the second half, we started fouling and playing with our hands too much.  The ball was not moving like it was in the first half either.  The game is 40 minutes.  We were in the same position against Middle Tennessee.  There is no team in this league that is going to shut it down.  Jax State had some guys make some big plays.  We were playing tense and tight, giving away live ball turnovers.  We must clean all of that up."
 
On the first half…
"We were locked in.  The ball got moving, our guards were very good at making the extra pass.  We were getting wide open shots that we can make.  We made shots and really guarded, which gave us easy baskets.  We ended up with 23 assists on 29 baskets.  That is how you win basketball games."
 
On AJ Bates…
"I have always told AJ that if you go out and distribute the ball early, then the floor will open up for you later.  We were able to make shots.  Later, he was able to get downhill and score because they were worried about him distributing the ball.  He had an unbelievable tonight."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech and Jax State are now tied at 3-3 in the all-time series.  The Bulldogs snapped their three-game losing streak to the Gamecocks, splitting the season series.
• LA Tech registered its 15th victory of the season.  The Bulldogs have now 15+ games in each of the last 15 seasons.
• LA Tech led wire-to-wire in the win for just the fourth time this season (first time against a CUSA opponent).
• LA Tech improved to 13-2 at home this season.  The Bulldogs have now won 13+ home games in 11 of the last 14 seasons.
• The 77 points was the most scored by the Bulldogs in the series versus the Gamecocks.  LA Tech improved to 11-0 this season when scoring 70+ points.
• The Bulldogs dished out 23 assists, the second most in a single game this season.  It also tied for the third most ever in a CUSA game by LA Tech.
• LA Tech shot 54.7 percent from the field, its third best shooting percentage in a single game this season (best against a Division I opponent).
• LA Tech outscored Jax State 38-18 in the paint.  The Bulldogs have now scored 30+ paint points 20 times this season (10 of the last 11 contests).  They have outscored 19 of their 26 opponents in the paint.
• LA Tech recorded eight steals.  The Bulldogs have at least eight steals in each of their last four games (had 8+ steals in just five of the first 21 games).
• LA Tech generated seven blocks, marking the fifth time this season with at least seven rejections in a single game.
• DJ Dudley scored a team-high 22 points (sixth 20+ scoring performance this season).  He went 4-of-7 from three-point range, tallying at least four triples for the fifth time.
• AJ Bates registered his third double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 15 assists.  The 15 dimes are the most ever by a Bulldog against a CUSA opponent and tied for the second most in program history. 
• AJ Bates now has 201 career assists as a Bulldog, becoming just the 25th player in program history to reach 200.
• Avery Thomas II tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 boards.  It marked the sixth time this season the sophomore has had 10+ rebounds.
• Kaden Cooper also posted 10 rebounds, marking the seventh time this season with 10+ boards.  He also had a career-high five assists and recorded a season-high three steals for the fifth time.
• Melian Martinez registered a career-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.  He also posted three blocks (eighth time this season with at least three rejections).

UP NEXT
LA Tech will travel to Georgia to battle Kennesaw State on Saturday, Feb. 21.  Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
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