Bulldogs set to host 49ers
RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech will close out the regular season on Saturday night against Charlotte with tipoff set for 6 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
Louisiana Tech (21-8, 12-5 C-USA) is in a two-way tie for second in the conference standings heading into the final game.
The Bulldogs will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Conference USA Tournament next week in Frisco, Texas.
The team locked up this position by coming away with another three-point victory over Florida International on Wednesday, 76-73. The Bulldogs shot 54 percent from the field (sixth time shooting over 50 percent in a game), but still had to hold on late to down the Panthers for a second time this season.
The offense has come alive for Louisiana Tech during its three bonus play games (2-1 record). The Bulldogs are averaging 80 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc.
Three players are averaging double-figure points during this stretch – DaQuan Bracey (17.0), Derric Jean (13.0) and Amorie Archibald (12.0).
Each scored double-digit points against Florida International, led by Archibald, who finished with a game-high 18 points. Louisiana Tech currently owns the best home record in Conference USA at 14-1 and will attempt to defeat Charlotte (16-12, 10-7 C-USA) for a second time in Ruston this season.
The 49ers bounced back after a loss at home to Florida International to hand regular season champion North Texas its biggest loss of the conference season, winning 56-43 in Halton Arena. With the victory, they locked up the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the Conference USA Tournament.
Charlotte is one of the better defensive teams in the league. They average just 15.4 fouls per game and allow only 64.7 points per game, both marks ranking in the top three in Conference USA and in the top 50 in the country.
They are led offensively by Jordan Shepherd who is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game while Conference USA Freshman of the Year candidate Jahmir Young is averaging 12.6 points per contest.
Louisiana Tech leads the all-time series over Charlotte 7-1, including a 72-59 win back on Jan. 30. The Bulldogs connected on 13 3-pointers in the victory.