LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Road Dogs were back in action Saturday night.
Louisiana Tech swept the Mountains road trip with a 67-58 victory over New Mexico State inside the Pan American Center, extending its winning streak to four.
In doing so, Los Angeles Tech (20-8, 10-3 CUSA) accomplished something that is now commonplace: reaching 20 wins in a season. They also did something that was clearly not standard. It was a loss to New Mexico State (11-17, 5-8 CUSA) in Las Cruces, which the Bulldogs had tried 10 times before and failed.
The matchup played out very similar to Thursday night's game at UTEP, with neither team able to pull away and ending up in the final five minutes.
And the Bulldogs came out strong again, running the offense all the way to the tee and getting defensive stop after defensive stop. Los Angeles Tech made the final six field goals, while New Mexico State made just one field goal in the final five minutes.
After the Aggies regained a one-point lead with 5:26 left in the game, LA Tech outscored New Mexico State 14-4 the rest of the way. By the time the home team hit their eighth 3-point shot of the tournament about eight minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs had already escaped from their largest lead of seven points.
Tahirik Chavez scored on a driving bucket to give LA Tech the lead again, 55-54. And it was a lead they couldn't give up. Sean Newman Jr. followed with five straight points, including a huge 3-pointer from the wing.
New Mexico State's only field goal soon after cut the deficit to 60-56, but Isaiah Crawford answered with an old-fashioned 3-point play. The defense did the rest as the Aggies missed their final three field goals.
The Bulldogs shot just 34.8 percent in the first half (the game was tied 26-26 at halftime), but exploded in the second half shooting 60.0 percent. Crawford recorded his third double-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Chavez (16), Daniel Baccio (13) and Newman Jr. (10) were other Bulldogs players who scored in double figures.
Christian Cook and Jordan Rawls each scored 16 points for the Aggies, who were held to 38.8 percent shooting.
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Head Coach Talvin Hester
Win on the road…
“I wasn't in the right mindset for about the first 25 minutes. I challenged guys. We had to go out there and get it. Not just the guys on the floor. , I could see the attitude of the players on the bench changing. The opponent wasn't coming in from three, so we all worked hard to get the ball inside. That's when good things happen and we win. I was able to.”
About messages during timeout 7 Down…
“We were leading the way. We were jumping when the ball went in, but when we weren't doing well, our attitude was the worst. To win games, it takes a lot of effort from the bench to the players on the court to the coaches. We needed to change our attitude.”
In the last 5 minutes…
“We're working on finishing the last five minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the game. We were mentally strong. We were ready. When. [Daniel] Baccio fouled out and we changed some things and ran the tee shot. ”
A big basket until late…
“I know Sean [Newman Jr.] He's struggled a little bit since three games, but we know he can shoot the ball. As time went on, I knew those shots would eventually go in. He has always been dynamic downhill. Isaiah was Isaiah. This is one of his most consistent stretches as a Bulldog. ”
Celebrity
With this win, LA Tech moves into the all-time series against New Mexico State with 6 wins and 16 losses. The Bulldogs defeated the Aggies in back-to-back games for the first time in the series, making it their fourth straight win.
LA Tech earned its first win over New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Bulldogs won 10-0 against the Aggies inside the Pan American Center.
LA Tech achieved their 20th win of the season. This is the 10th time in the last 12 seasons that the Bulldogs have won 20 or more games.
LA Tech improved to 10-3 in CUSA play. The Bulldogs have won double-digit league games in nine of the past 12 seasons.
The Bulldogs held the Aggies to 38.8 percent shooting, marking the 18th time this season that they held Los Angeles Tech to less than 40 percent from the field.
The Bulldogs held the Aggies to 58 points, marking the eighth time they held a CUSA opponent to fewer than 60 points.
LA Tech outscored New Mexico State 35-22. It was the 21st time this season that he recorded more rebounds than his opponent.
Isaiah Crawford recorded his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. She scored 20 or more points in her eighth game this season.
Isaiah Crawford has moved up to 22nd place on the all-time scoring list (currently with 1,437 points).
Isaiah Crawford had three blocks, giving the forward his 50th point of the season (the 18th Bulldog in program history to grab 50 or more boards in a season).
next
LA Tech ends its three-game road game at WKU on Wednesday, February 28th. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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