RUSTON – Louisiana Tech travels to the Peach State to face off against Kennesaw State on Saturday inside VyStar Arena.
 
GAME INFORMATION 
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 21 | 4 p.m. CT
Location: VyStar Arena (Kennesaw, Ga.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network (107.5 FM) | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (15-11, 8-7 CUSA)
LA Tech, who is in a three-way tie for third in the league standings, built a big first-half cushion and survived a late surge to defeat Jacksonville State 77-71 on Wednesday night at home. The Bulldogs led wire-to-wire in snapping their three-game losing streak to the Gamecocks. They shot a blistering 54.7 percent from the field, which was their best this season against a Division I opponent. LA Tech improved to 11-0 this season when scoring 70+ points.
 
The Bulldogs outscored the Gamecocks, 38-18, in the paint. LA Tech has now scored 30+ paint points 20 times this season and in 10 of the last 11 contests. The team is averaging 34.6 paint points per game and have outscored 19 of their 26 opponents this season (11 of their 15 conference foes).
 
LA Tech, who was averaging just 12.0 assists per game, dished out 23 assists against Jax State, the second most in a single game this season. It also tied for the third most ever by the Bulldogs in a CUSA contest. Fifteen of those were distributed by AJ Bates, tying for the second most ever in a single game while breaking the LA Tech record for most in a CUSA contest. In doing so, he also became the 25th Bulldog in program history to reach 200 career assists, taking him only 55 games to do so. The sophomore ranks top 30 in the country in both total assists (152) and assists per game (5.8).
 
DJ Dudley was highly efficient versus Jax State, scoring a team-high 22 points (sixth 20+ scoring performance of the season) while going 4-of-7 from three-point range. The junior continues to ancor the 'Dogs in scoring with an average of 13.9 points for the season. He ranks 12th in the league with an average of 15.6 points during conference play only.
 
LA Tech boasts one of the top rebounding tandems in the conference in Kaden Cooper and Avery Thomas II as each of them had 10 boards against Jax State. Cooper ranks third in CUSA in rebounds per game (8.0) while Thomas II ranks 10th at 6.9. Over the last four games, the duo has totaled 76 rebounds (51.4 percent of all LA Tech's boards). They also anchor the team in total steals with 29 apiece. During this same four-game stretch, Cooper has 11 steals while Thomas II has eight.
 
ABOUT KENNESAW STATE (15-11, 7-8 CUSA)
Kennesaw State snapped its three-game los­ing streak this past Wednesday, winning 91-87 at Missouri State. Part of that losing skid was the Owls dropping back-to-back games at home to Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston. With five conference games remaining, KSU is in a two-way tie for sixth in the league stand­ings. The Owls begin a three-game stand at VyStar Arena where they are 10-3 this season.
 
Kennesaw State checks in as one, if not the, best rebounding teams in the country. The Owls rank top 10 in the nation in both re­bounds per game (41.77) and offensive re­bounds per game (14.58). KSU has pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in all but two of its games, including all 15 confer­ence matchups. During league action, the Owls have the highest offensive rebounding percentage at 35.3 percent.
 
KSU ranks 20th in the nation in tempo, aver­aging 71.5 possessions per game. As a result, the Owls are 22nd in the country in scoring offense with an average of 85.3 points per contest. That average is down to 77.7 points during conference action, which ranks third. The 91 points scored on Missouri State was their most in a league game this season.
 
Offensively, KSU was riding the hot hand this season of Simeon Cottle. The CUSA Preseason Player of the Year was averaging 20.2 points per game but is out for the remainder of the season. Stepping up in his place has been RJ Johnson. The sophomore guard who redshirted last season was averaging just 9.0 points through the first 14 games. Over the last 11 games, he is averaging a whopping 20.7 points including a 29-point effort at Missouri State. The only game during this stretch he was held in check was at LA Tech when the Bulldogs limited him to just one point. During conference play, he ranks top six in the league in scoring (17.1), field goal percentage (47.5), and assists (4.1).
 
THE SERIES
Kennesaw State leads the all-time series against LA Tech, 2-1.  The Owls swept the season series last year, but the Bulldogs claimed their first win earlier this season with an 82-76 victory in Ruston.
 
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources.  Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes.  Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.  
 
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand.  You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents.  By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way.  Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today.  You bark.  We bark.  Louder together.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Basketball, follow us on X (@LATechHoops), Instagram (@LATechHoops), and Facebook (LATechMBB).