MIAMI – Having not won on the road in two months, Louisiana Tech head coach Talvin Hester decided to make a change in the starting lineup with the insertion of AJ Bates.
All the freshman did was play the entire 40 minutes, scoring 19 points and dishing out seven assists in the process as LA Tech defeated FIU, 82-71, on Saturday afternoon inside the FIU Convocation Center.
Bates was also stellar on the defensive end, recording four rebounds and three steals. Also stepping up was Amaree Abram who also had four boards and three steals to go along with his game-high 20 points as LA Tech (17-7, 6-5 CUSA) never trailed. This after not having one single lead two days prior at Liberty.
Much like in the first meeting with FIU (8-16, 2-9 CUSA), the Bulldogs got off to a hot start. A pair of three-pointers by Bates plus six points inside by Daniel Batcho gave the road team an early 14-4 lead.
That advantage would almost double after a fastbreak layup by Bates made it 40-22 in favor of the 'Dogs, forcing a timeout by the Panthers with 4:21 remaining in the first half. The halftime lead would ultimately be 45-30 in favor of LA Tech.
No lead is safe against FIU though. Their pressure cranked up a notch and an 8-0 run to start the second half quickly sliced their deficit down to single digits.
Deeper into the stanza, Jonathan Aybar scored five straight for the Panthers to pull the home team with seven and 10 minutes still to play in the contest. However, ball movement around the perimeter ultimately found Abram in the corner for a three-pointer to get the lead back into double digits.
FIU's Dashon Gittens quickly countered with a three-pointer of his own, but a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs increased their advantage to 70-56 with 6:42 to play. Free throws did the trick in the final minutes as LA Tech snapped its five-game road losing streak.
LA Tech shot a blistering 60.8 percent from the field (31-51), 45.0 percent from three-point range (9-20), and 84.6 percent from the foul line (11-13). Batcho and Devin Ree were the two other Bulldogs in double figures with 17 and 10 points, respectively.
FIU shot 41.9 percent from the field (26-62) and had four Panthers score double-digit points, led by Jayden Brewer with 15.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester On the performance of freshman AJ Bates …"We knew FIU was going to press and so we needed to put more ball handling in the game. He has done a great job of taking care of the basketball this season, so I went to him. I did not know what I would get as far as offensive production, but I could tell when he was out there, he was following our scout. Excited about his performance."
On handling FIU's pressure …"FIU is very physical so that is when having another ball handler helped us. I thought we handled the pressure well. The turnovers we did have was not really because of their pressure but because we were passing the ball out of bounds or cross court."
On Amaree Abram …"We are trying to get the game to slow down for him so he can do the things we know he is capable of doing. If he does that, he keeps growing and can be dynamic for us.
NOTABLES
- With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus FIU, 15-8. The Bulldogs have won six straight and nine of the last 10 over the Panthers.
- LA Tech has now won back-to-back games over FIU in Miami for just the second time ever.
- LA Tech scored 82 points, its most in a CUSA game this season (previous high was 81 against the Panthers in Ruston on Jan. 9).
- The Bulldogs shot 60.8 percent from the field, their second-best shooting performance of the season. It was the third-best shooting percentage ever for LA Tech in a CUSA game (fourth time ever shooting over 60 percent).
- For the fifth time this season, LA Tech never trailed.
- The Bulldogs scored 42 points in the paint, marking the seventh time this season with 40+ paint points.
- Amaree Abram led the Bulldogs in scoring for just the second time this season, registering a game-high 20 points (two 20+ scoring performance). He made four three-pointers, giving him a team-best 52 triples this season.
- AJ Bates made his first career start as a Bulldog and played the entire 40 points. He registered career highs in points (19), made field goals (eight), assists (seven), and steals (three). He became the first LA Tech freshman since Jordan Crawford in 2023 to play the entire game.
- Daniel Batcho scored in double figures for the 22nd time in 24 games this season with 17 points. The nation's field goal percentage leader was 6-of-10 from the field.
- Devin Ree led the Bulldogs in rebounding for a third time this season with a game-high eight boards.
- Sean Newman Jr. dished out six assists, marking the 23rd time in 24 games this season he has recorded at least five. He now has 356 for his Bulldog career, the 11th most in program history. He now has 210 assists for the season, the fourth most in program history.
- Daniel Batcho tallied three blocks, marking the ninth time this season with at least three rejections in a game (23rd time as a Bulldog). He now has 54 for the season and 121 for his career.
UP NEXT
LA Tech returns home to take on Kennesaw State on Thursday, Feb. 13 inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
