RUSTON – Louisiana Tech and Jacksonville State went down to the wire for the season time this season, and again the Bulldogs suffered a two-point loss to the Gamecocks, falling by a final score of 70-68 on Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
LA Tech (17-9, 6-7 CUSA) found itself down by nine with 2:44 to go but got it to within one point on three separate occasions. A halfcourt heave by Kaden Cooper with a couple of seconds remaining was off the mark, giving league-leader Jax State (18-8, 10-3 CUSA) the series sweep.
The Bulldogs had the momentum in the first half, using a 12-0 run to take a 25-17 lead while forcing a timeout by the Gamecocks. The run was provided mostly by Amaree Abram who buried two three-pointers and made two tough buckets at the rim for 10 of his 16 points.
The lead got to as much as nine with 6:33 to go in the first half following three straight points by Will Allen, but the Gamecocks responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game up at 28-28. Two more ties followed before Jordan Crawford sank a three from the top of the arc to give the 'Dogs a 36-33 advantage going into the locker room.
LA Tech was not as successful on offense in the second half, scoring just 10 points in the first 11 minutes of the stanza. Meanwhile, one of the top scorers in the country Jaron Pierre Jr. anchored Jax State as the visitors pulled ahead and started to pull away.
Pierre Jr. strung together seven straight points for the Gamecocks, giving them a 10-point cushion with 5:51 remaining in the game. Jax State lived at the foul line the remainder of the game (last 15 points of the contest were free throws).
Meanwhile, Daniel Batcho started to come alive again scoring eight of his team-high 19 during the late stretch. It was a fastbreak layup by Abram that got the 'Dogs within one point with 35 ticks remaining.
While Pierre Jr. tallied 34 points, it was Quel'Ron House making six consecutive free throws in the final 30 seconds that kept the Gamecocks ahead for good.
LA Tech shot a better percentage from the field (42.9 percent) and from three-point range (41.2 percent), but Jax State took 12 more free throws (made 26 of their 30 attempts at the charity stripe).
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester Opening statement …"We came with effort today and gave ourselves a chance. But, I don't think we played with maturity in a lot of different ways. I thought in the first half when we got a lead and started to pull away, we got a little selfish. Guys started doing their own thing, which decreased out lead. Then we started turning the ball over and took some selfish shots against their zone. In the second half, we adjusted for the negative. We would set things in the wrong place or move differently. We were not being as patient as we were in the first half. We had a great start to our season but somewhere down the line things have changed, and we have started to separate. I have to find a way to get this team back together."
On the matchup on Jaron Pierre Jr. …"One guy scoring 34 can't beat you. They had nobody else in double figures except a guy that we sent to the line eight times. It was uncharacteristic of us fouling so much. A lot of time when you foul it is because you are not in the right place. We adjusted there at the end a little bit. I didn't want to do it too early so they could see the adjustment. It gave us a chance. We came back and gave ourselves a chance, but then little things happened."
Forward Daniel Batcho On the difference in the game …"We have to do a better job of following the game plan. You can't let down on any play. Every time we get a lead, we kind of get comfortable. We have to be locked in from the one minute to the last minute."
On the physicality of the game …"It affected the game. They have two big guys. I have to continue to get in better shape and work hard."
NOTABLES
- With the loss, LA Tech is now tied in the all-time series versus Jax State, 2-2.
- LA Tech outrebounded Jax State, 33-32. It marked the 17th time (out of 26 games) this season that the Bulldogs pulled down more boards than their opponent.
- The 26 made free throws by the Gamecocks was the most made by an opponent this season (most since UAB made 26 on Jan. 14, 2023).
- LA Tech shot 12 fewer free throws than Jax State, the biggest differential in a home game since Jan. 27, 2022 versus Rice.
- The 19 field goals allowed was the second fewest this season for LA Tech (fewest by a CUSA opponent).
- The starting lineup of Sean Newman Jr., Amaree Abram, Al Green, Kaden Cooper, and Daniel Batcho lost their first game of the season. LA Tech was previously 3-0 with this starting lineup.
- Daniel Batcho led the Bulldogs in scoring for the 11th time this season with 19 points. It marked the 13th time he has scored 19+ points in a game this season.
- Amaree Abram scored in double figures for the 18th time (second most on the time) with 16 points. He had two three-pointers, bringing his team-high total to 54 this season. It was the 18th time this season hitting multiple threes in a game.
- Kaden Cooper led LA Tech in rebounding for the 14th time, pulling down a game-high 13 boards (tied his career high).
- Daniel Batcho registered one block, bringing his Bulldog career total to 124 which is tied for the fifth most in program history. He has recorded at least one rejection in 47 of his 54 games.
- Jordan Crawford played a season-high 34 minutes while also tying his season high with four assists. He now has 170 career assists as a Bulldog.
UP NEXT
LA Tech begins a three-game road swing on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Middle Tennessee. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.
