RUSTON – Louisiana Tech put on a shooting clinic in its final game of the regular season, knocking down 12 three-pointers in route to a 76-58 victory over UTEP on Saturday afternoon inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
The win meant a lot of things for LA Tech (20-11, 9-9 CUSA). It was win No. 20, a milestone the program has now reached in 11 of the last 13 seasons. It was a bounce-back win following a disappointing loss to New Mexico State two days ago. And it was a win that solidified a No. 6 seed and first-round bye in the CUSA Tournament.
It was the three-ball that helped LA Tech gain some separation early in the first half as Al Green buried his first two attempts and then Sean Newman Jr. drilled a triple to give the 'Dogs a 22-14 advantage.
Then it was Sean Elkinton who came off the bench and went back-to-back from downtown. He would tack on two free throws to account for eight straight points as LA Tech built a 34-22 halftime lead over UTEP (17-14, 7-11 CUSA).
Along with the five first-half three-pointers was the stifling defense by the Bulldogs, limiting the Miners to just 28.1 percent shooting in the stanza and just one three-pointer out of 13 attempts.
LA Tech kept its foot on the gas to start the second half, opening the stanza on a 12-2 run that was anchored in large part by Sean Newman Jr. and Amaree Abram. One of the nation's top assist leaders dished out two of his five dimes during the stretch and added a jumper in the paint while Abram drilled two triples to help make it a 46-26 lead with 15:16 to play in the home finale.
The Miners meanwhile could just get to the foul line for the most part, making 15 second-half free throws. While UTEP was getting free throws, LA Tech was getting threes to put the Miners away. Green hit four more from beyond the arc in route to a game-high 20 points.
As a team, LA Tech shot 44.4 percent from the field (24-54) and a staggering 70.6 percent from three-point range (12-17). Abram and Newman Jr. joined Green in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
UTEP finished the contest at 31.7 percent shooting (19-60) and were just 2-of-20 from deep. KJ Thomas came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester On the win …"I was excited about the way we played. We had energy, passion, played hard. We owed our fans that. They come out and support us day in and day out. I felt like we came out and gave them what they deserved."
On the team's first-half defense …"UTEP would not have even had 22 points had we gotten a couple of loose balls and gave up some offensive rebounds. In the second half, we were good as well. When you are playing good defensively, it is amazing how the ball seems to fall. It helped us shoot the ball better."
On the run to start to the second half …"When Sean starts distributing, the basket opens up wide for him and others and we take advantage. Amaree Abram came out and knocked down eight straight points. We were getting stops on the defensive end and scoring on the offensive end. It got choppy there in the middle when had different lineups out there trying to get rest, but we got it to where we could end the game the right way."
On Al Green's performance …"When he has time and space, he is one of the best shooters. We must continue to get him those shots by playing the right way, getting paint touches, going inside out. He makes plays off the ball too. He made some really good plays driving the ball."
NOTABLES
- With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus UTEP, 21-15. The Bulldogs improved to 13-2 against the Miners in Ruston (have won nine of the last 10 matches in the TAC).
- LA Tech recorded its 20th victory of the season. It marks the 30th time in program history of reach 30 wins. They have done so in 11 of the last 13 seasons.
- The 18-point victory tied for the second-biggest win by the Bulldogs against the Miners.
- The Bulldogs shot a season-high 70.6 percent from three-point range. It was the highest percentage from behind the arc since 2017. LA Tech hit 12 three-pointers, the seventh time this season knocking down double-digit triples.
- The Bulldogs scored 42 second-half points, marking the 16th time this season scoring 40+ in the second stanza.
- LA Tech shot 76.2 percent from the foul line. It marked the 16th time this season the Bulldogs have shot at least 75 percent from the free throw line.
- LA Tech held UTEP to just 31.7 percent shooting from the field, the lowest percentage by a CUSA opponent this season.
- LA Tech held UTEP to just two made three-pointers, the fewest this season by an opponent.
- Al Green led the Bulldogs in scoring for a second straight game (seventh time this season) with 20 points. It was his second 20+ scoring performance of the season. He knocked down a career-high six three-pointers, the most by a Bulldog this season.
- Amaree Abram scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season, tallying 13 points. He hit three three-pointers, giving him a team-best 66 triples on the season (four shy of cracking the top 10 in program history).
- Sean Newman Jr. was back in the starting lineup and posted 11 points, his 15th double-figure scoring game this season. He also dished out a game-high five assists, marking the 27th time this season with at least five dimes. He now has 238 assists on the season, the fifth most in CUSA history, and 384 for his Bulldog career, the ninth most in program history.
- Kaden Cooper tied his career high with 13 boards. It marked the 17th time this season he has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in a game.
- Daniel Batcho tallied two blocks, giving him 62 rejections on the season and 129 for his Bulldog career. He has recorded multiple blocks in 35 career games at LA Tech.
- Jordan Crawford tied his season high with three steals.
UP NEXT
LA Tech will face off against Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the CUSA Tournament on Thursday, March 13. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
