Bulldogs ready for road test
RUSTON, La. - After playing 13 non-conference games, Louisiana Tech will begin its 18-game Conference USA schedule on tonight when they visit Western Kentucky with tipoff set for 7 p.m. inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
Louisiana Tech (9-4) is still looking for its first true road win of the season. The Bulldogs have only played two such games, falling to Power 5 teams Alabama and Texas.
The Bulldogs do carry some momentum into league action though, as they are coming off their second regular season tournament title after winning the inaugural New Orleans Shootout right before Christmas break.
They first defeated Alabama State 74-62, and then exactly one month to the day of beating a school from Indiana (Evansville) to win the Cancun Challenge, they bested another school from Indiana (Fort Wayne) by a final score of 85-76 to claim their second trophy.
Sophomore guard DaQuan Bracey was named the Tournament MVP after averaging 20.5 points, seven assists and three steals per game.
He finished with a career-high 25 points versus the Mastodons.
Senior guard Jacobi Boykins was selected to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.5 points per game, including tying his season high with 23 in the finals. He made 10-of-15 3-pointers combined.
The duo is leading the team in scoring with Bracey averaging 16.0 points per contest and Boykins right behind with an average of 14.1 points per game.
Stepping up in a big way in New Orleans was sophomore forward Oliver Powell, who registered a careerhigh 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the finals.
In both games, Louisiana Tech shot at least 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 70 percent from the foul line.
They will be facing a team just as good offensively in WKU (8-5), who currently ranks first in C-USA and 28th in the country in field-goal percentage (49.9).
The Hilltoppers are a brand new team under second-year head coach Rick Stansbury.
They lost eight letterwinners, including four starters, from a season ago and have completely revamped their lineup.
One of those returners is senior forward Justin Johnson, who was a preseason All-Conference USA selection after being named second-team All-CUSA last season.
On a team that only goes eight players deep, he is one of the five starters that are all averaging double figures with an average of 12.1 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounds with 8.5 boards per contest.
The two new guards, Darius Thompson and Taveion Hollingsworth, are averaging 14.2 and 13.8 points per game, respectively to anchor the squad in scoring.
WKU is 5-2 at home this season while posting impressive victories over nationally-ranked Purdue as well as SMU, which took place at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in November.
WKU currently leads in the all-time series 16-15. Louisiana Tech has won three of the last four and are 2-1 versus the Hilltoppers since becoming league foes in C-USA in 2014.
The Bulldogs have lost two straight in E.A. Diddle Arena with the last win coming in 2000.