Bulldogs, Hilltoppers to meet in league series

RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech will leave the state for the first time this season, traveling to take on Conference USA preseason favorite Western Kentucky in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday inside E.A. Diddle Arena.

Friday's matchup will tipoff at 7 p.m. while Saturday's game is set for 6 p.m.

Louisiana Tech (8-3, 1-1 C-USA) opened up C-USA action with a split series versus Marshall. Both were one-possession games with two minutes to go. The Bulldogs pulled out game one 75-68, while the Herd got the win in game two 80-73.

It was the underclassmen that led the Bulldogs offensively over the

weekend. Sophomore Isaiah Crawford anchored the team in scoring in both games, averaging 16.5 points. Fellow sophomore Cobe Williams averaged 13.5 points, scoring a career-high 17 on Saturday. And freshman Kenneth Lofton Jr. averaged 11.5 points and 6.0 boards per game.

The Bulldogs are 1-2 in road games this season with the lone win coming at Louisiana-Monroe.

Western Kentucky (8-3, 1-1 C-USA) is a perfect 5-0 at home this season. The Hilltoppers came into the 2020-21 season as the C-USA preseason favorite for a third straight year. They have registered non-conference wins over Memphis, Rhode Island and Alabama and split their opening C-USA series with Charlotte.

The Hilltoppers are led by C-USA All-Preseason Team members Charles Bassey and Taveion Hollingsworth. Bassey leads Western Kentucky in points (16.3) and rebounds (11.1) per game, having posted six double-doubles this season.

Hollingsworth, a First Team All-Conference USA selection last season, is averaging 15.1 points and leads the league in free throws made and attempted.

Western Kentucky leads the all-time series 19-16.

The two teams were conference foes in the Sun Belt from 1991-2001 before becoming league opponents in 2014-15 in C-USA. The home team has won the last 10 meetings.