Bulldogs beat rival Cajuns

Turnovers were an issue again for LA Tech (8-2), especially in the first half when the Bulldogs coughed it up 10 times leading to a tie ball game at halftime. However, fewer turnovers and better defense in the second half helped the 'Dogs hand ULL (1-8) its seventh straight loss.

Four of those turnovers by the Bulldogs came on the first five possessions. However, six straight points by Daniel Batcho and a stepback three-pointer by Amaree Abram resulted in a 7-0 run and an early 9-6 lead.

ULL's Kentrell Garnett got hot right after that, draining four straight triples to put the Cajuns back in front. Meanwhile, the home team would score 16 points off turnovers in the first stanza, including back-to-back buckets to force a timeout by head coach Talvin Hester as the 'Dogs found themselves down five with five minutes left before halftime.

Bench scoring got the visitors back into it, ending the half with a second-chance layup by Will Allen and a three-pointer from the top of the arc by AJ Bates to help make it a 34-34 tie going into the locker room.

LA Tech did not allow a made field goal in that five-minute stretch after the Hester timeout. That stout defense would carry over to the second half as the Bulldogs allowed the Ragin' Cajuns to score just six points through 10 minutes of play. The result was a 46-40 advantage for the 'Dogs.

The Cajuns hung around, down just two possessions with 3:50 to play. But, Amaree Abram made a teardrop floater in the lane and later drilled a late shot clock three-pointer for the dagger.

LA Tech was 14-of-26 from the field in the second half while ULL managed to make just nine of its 25 attempts. The Bulldogs would shoot 52.9 percent for the game with four players in double figures, led by Batcho who had a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards. Abram added 12, Kaden Cooper tallied 11 and eight boards, and Sean Newman Jr. recorded 10 points and seven assists.

The team owned the paint, scoring 42 points in the area while also outrebounding the Ragin' Cajuns, 36-22.

Garnett for UL-Lafayette was the only Cajun to score in double figures with 23 points.

QUOTABLES

Head coach Talvin Hester On the bench play …"I thought AJ was unbelievable. Another guy stepped up. Devin Ree could not go in the second half so we were shorthanded with seven guys. AJ stepped and played big. Not only did he come out and solidify us, he did not turn the ball over. You have to be proud of your freshman playing like that. Will Allen was great as well. He was rebounding the ball like crazy. It was a total team effort. We had some really good spurts in the second half where we really guarded."

On Kaden Cooper's plays down the stretch …"I was hoping he would get going once we called the lob play for him. Sean threw an unbelievable pass. Kaden started playing with some life after that. We had to get some stops down the stretch and we did not let them go crazy on the offensive glass."

On outrebounding the Cajuns …"I was really pleased with the rebounding. Especially without Devin Ree, we were even smaller. We had our guys pulling down two or three, helping us out. There was an emphasis on our guys rebounding. I challenged the team at halftime to play some defense."

NOTABLES

- With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series against UL-Lafayette, 93-77. It marked the Bulldogs 10th all-time victory over the Ragin' Cajuns in the Cajundome and the first since 2018.

- The Bulldogs improved to 8-2 on the season. They have won at least eight of their first 10 games in four of the last five seasons.

- LA Tech shot 52.9 percent from the field, marking the fifth time this season the Bulldogs have shot over 50 percent (third time in the last four games).

- The 58 points allowed against ULL was the fewest since 2007.

- LA Tech has now won six games away from home this season (two on the road and four at neutral sites), which is tied for the most in the country.

- Daniel Batchor egistered his first double-double of the season and 12th of his Bulldog career with 19 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. He has scored 19+ points five times this season.

- Daniel Batcho extended his streak of consecutive games scoring in double figures to 17. He also extended his streak of consecutive games with a block to 14 games.

- Amaree Abram has now scored double-digit points in nine of the 10 games this season (had 12). He has now made multiple three-pointers in four of the last five games and extended his streak of consecutive games with a steal to 10.

- Kaden Cooper scored 11 points and had eight rebounds. He has had at least eight boards in seven of the 10 games this season.

- Sean Newman Jr. finished the game with seven assists, giving him 5+ assists for the ninth time this season and 28th time in his Bulldog career (38 total games).

- Will Allen came off the bench to record season highs in points (six) and rebounds (six).

- AJ Bates played a season-high 17 minutes.

UP NEXT

LA Tech will start a three-game homestand on Friday, Dec. 13 versus Georgia Southern. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.