Louisiana Tech's basketball programs both went 1-0 last week with each having a win over Sam Houston State.

The Lady Techsters defeated Sam Houston State 76-55 in the home finale on Thursday night.

Talvin Hester's squad went on the road and defeated the Bearkats 90-66 on Saturday.

Three Things We Learned

1 — Balanced Attack

All five of the Dunkin' Dogs starters were in double-figures scoring on Saturday.

AJ Bates, making his third start of the season, scored a team-high 20 points and dished out 9 assists.

Al Green added 19, Daniel Batcho had 18, Amaree Abram had 14, and Kaden Cooper rounded out things with 10 points.

Tech shot 60% from the field for the game, and 50% from 3-point range. Great recipe for victory.

2 — Young Backcourt Shines

Brooke Stoehr's squad had lost four in a row prior to Thursday night and badly needed to get back into the win column.

Paris Bradley and Jianna Morris were up for the task combining for 45 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals in the 21-point win.

Bradley's 25 points came on an efficient 9 shots from the field.

3 — AJ Bates takes Advantage of Opportunity

With Sean Newman Jr. out due to injury, AJ Bates got the opportunity to run the show at point guard on Saturday afternoon.

The freshman, in front of a hometown crowd, scored 20 points and dished out 9 assists while playing all 40 minutes for the Bulldogs.

Tech averaged an astounding 1.36 points per possession.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 — Where will the Dunkin' Dogs and Lady Techsters finish in the Conference USA standings?

Talvin Hesters' team sits at 19-10 overall and 8-8 in Conference USA play entering the final two games of the regular season.

The Bulldogs are in sixth place by one game over Western Kentucky and UTEP.

The Lady Techsters are currently 14-13 overall and 7-9 in Conference USA play entering the final two games of the regular season.

Brooke Stoehr's team is in a fifth place tie with FIU.

Both the Dunkin' Dogs and Lady Techsters need to finish in the top 6 of the conference standings to secure a first round bye in the conference tournament.

2 — How will Talvin Hester adjust his scheme offensively?

There's no point guard controversy at Louisiana Tech, that's not what we are saying. Sean Newman is the point guard.

However, AJ Bates has clearly progressed as freshmen can do throughout a season and looks poised to make a big impact over the final two regular season games and into the conference tournament.

Does Coach Hester put Newman off the ball more often and allow Bates to run the point after all the success at Sam Houston State? We'll find out.

One Prediction for Next Week

Daniel Batcho scores 25 points on Senior Day against UTEP on Saturday.

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