HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Louisiana Tech delivered its third straight strong performance on Thursday night, defeating Middle Tennessee 80-69 to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 Air National Guard Conference USA Basketball Championship inside VBC Propst Arena.
 
The victory carried extra significance for LA Tech (19-13), which had seen its postseason runs ended by MTSU (17-15) in each of the last two CUSA tournaments. This time, the Bulldogs flipped the script with a wire-to-wire performance fueled by a star outing from AJ Bates.
 
Bates was sensational from start to finish, pouring in a game-high 29 points while adding six assists and six steals in a complete two-way effort. The guard also went 10-of-13 at the free throw line, repeatedly attacking the rim and closing the game out at the stripe.
 
LA Tech set the tone early, shooting a blistering 56 percent from the field in the first half while knocking down seven of its first 10 attempts from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs built a double-digit lead midway through the period and took a commanding 39-25 advantage into halftime.
 
MTSU pushed in the second half, trimming the deficit to four with just under eight minutes remaining at 56-52, but LA Tech answered in a big way. Kaden Cooper got a friendly bounce on a right-handed hook shot along the baseline to make it a six-point game. After a free throw by the Blue Raiders' Torey Alston, Cooper buried a three-pointer from the wing.
 
It was part of a quick 9-1 run that pushed the lead back to double digits as the Bulldogs maintained control down the stretch.
 
DJ Dudley added 16 points while Avery Thomas II chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds. Cooper provided a strong presence off the bench with nine points and six rebounds, and Will Allen contributed six points and six boards.
 
As a team, LA Tech shot 48.3 percent from the floor and a season-best 56.3 percent from three-point range while also forcing 16 Middle Tennessee turnovers.
 
With the victory, the Bulldogs move into the CUSA semifinals to face Missouri State.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester
 
On the win…
"I am proud of this team.  We talked about way back in July to prepare ourselves to play our best basketball in February and March.  There are very few times that I have coached that I have seen a team progressing month after month to play their best basketball now.  We have done it through ups and downs.  Our guys stuck together.  Sometimes you get to March, and players really do not want to be there.  This team was excited to play in this game.  I think that played a part in the outcome.  We are playing some good basketball right now."
 
"We were a different team back in January when we last played Middle Tennessee.  We were still searching for our identity.  We were not as good defensively.  When we came back from that 20-point deficit, from then on, we changed.  We made a commitment to the defensive end of the floor."
 
Guard AJ Bates
 
On peaking at the right time…
"It comes from work.  Every day in practice, coach challenges us to be the best version of ourselves.  We have had trouble not giving our full effort.  We trusted each other.  Our defense communicated well, rotated well.  We had some lapses where we got lost, but we trusted each other."
 
Forward Avery Thomas II
 
On peaking at the right time…
"Attitude and effort.  Coach preaches it every day.  If our attitudes are right and we play as a team, even when Middle Tennessee went on a run, we stuck together.  We kept playing hard."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus Middle Tennessee, 19-10.  The Bulldogs own a 12-8 advantage over the Blue Raiders since the two joined CUSA in 2013.
• LA Tech advances to the CUSA Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2022 (sixth time overall). 
• This was the Bulldogs' first win in the CUSA Tournament in Huntsville.  LA Tech had lost the first game each of the last seasons to MTSU.
• For the first time this season, the Bulldogs have won three games in a row.  LA Tech has not trailed in any of the three victories.
• LA Tech shot a season-high 56.3 percent from three-point range (9-of-16). 
• LA Tech improved to 15-1 this season when scoring 70+ points.  It marked the fourth time ever the Bulldogs scored 80+ points in a CUSA Tournament game.
• The Bulldogs recorded 11 steals, tied for the most ever by LA Tech in a CUSA Tournament game.  They have registered 10+ steals in five of the last 10 games.
• LA Tech forced 16 turnovers by MTSU.  The Bulldogs have now forced 15+ turnovers in six of the last 10 contests.
• AJ Bates scored a game-high 29 points.  It is the most points scored by a Bulldog in a CUSA Tournament game.  It marked the ninth time leading LA Tech in scoring and his 18th double-digit scoring effort (fifth 20+ scoring performance of the season).
• Avery Thomas II just missed a double-double with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds.  It marked the 12th time this season he has led the Bulldogs in rebounding.
• AJ Bates dished out six assists, giving him 188 for the season (ninth most in program history) and 237 for his career (19th most in program history).  It marked the 21st time this season AJ has posted at least five dimes in a single game.
• AJ Bates registered a career-high six steals. 
• Melian Martinez recorded one block, giving him 50 for the season.  In doing so, the center became the ninth Bulldog in program history with 50+ blocks in a single season.

UP NEXT
No. 4 seed LA Tech will battle No. 9 seed Missouri State on Friday in the CUSA Men's Basketball Championship semifinals.  Tipoff is set for 11:30 a.m. CT and will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.
 
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