Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
After a long trip to New York, Louisiana Tech is back home tonight to take on Mississippi College inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game can be heard on 107.5 FM with Malcolm Butler and Jack Thigpen providing a call of the action.
LA Tech (3-0) led from start to finish as the Bulldogs took care of UMass, 76-66, this past Wednesday in the inaugural Icons of the Game event. The ‘Dogs built as much as a 19-point lead in the second half in route to staying undefeated this early season.
The team was successful again from long range, draining 10 three-pointers (have made at least nine in each of their first three games). They also shared the rock to the tune of 20 assists, marking the first time since 2017 they have had back-to-back games of at least 20 dimes.
Sean Newman Jr. did most of the distributing, recording a season-high 14 points and a career-high 12 assists as the redshirt junior was named MVP of the LA Tech-UMass game. The point guard currently ranks first in the country in assists per game (10.3) with his 31 total assists ranking sixth. All the while, he has committed only four turnovers, giving him a 7.75 assist/turnover ratio.
Coming off a 23-point performance at UT Arlington, Amaree Abram had another great game scoring a game-high 19 points while also contributing a career-high six rebounds and three steals. He is averaging 17.3 points per game, having scored in double figures in all three games, while shooting a team-best 47.6 percent from three-point range (10-of-21). He also anchors the Bulldogs in steals with eight.
Despite playing only 12 minutes due to foul trouble against the Minutemen, Batcho still registered 10 points, four boards, and three blocks. The reigning CUSA Player of the Year continues to pace LA Tech in scoring at 17.7 points per game while shooting 86.4 percent from the field (19-of-23), which ranks fifth in the nation.
Mississippi College (3-1) opened the season with three straight victories, defeating Central State (73- 65), Albany State (58-56), and Millsaps (64-60). That winning streak ended on Saturday with a 72-58 loss against East Central.
The Choctaws are averaging 63.3 points per game while shooting 40.3 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.8 percent from the free throw line.
Mississippi College, an NCAA Division II team, was picked to finish seventh in the Gulf South Conference preseason poll. The Choctaws went 13-16 a season ago while going 12-12 in GSC Action.
The Choctaws have been led in scoring this season by JJ Harris who is averaging 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Harris has registered back-to-back double-doubles, including a 21-point, 12-rebound performance against Millsaps.
Tyshun Briscoe and Tremaine Dixon are the other two Choctaws averaging double-digit points at 14.3 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Dixon has made a team-best 10 three-pointers and also anchors the team with 12 assists.
One Choctaw who has not played this season is Rashad Bolden who was a First Team All-GSC selection last season, ranking second in the nation in scoring at 24.4 points per game. He racked up seven games of scoring 30+ points while also leading the team with 133 assists. He was one of five players named to the GSC Preseason All-Conference team.
LA Tech leads the all-time series against Mississippi College, 21-12, according to records with the Bulldogs winning the last eight meetings.
The two programs played 23 times prior to World War II, followed by eight meetings from 1945-51. The previous two matchups though have come in season openers for the Bulldogs in 2011 and again in 2022, which was the head coaching debut of Talvin Hester.
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