Nov. 12, 2017

GameDay Central | Game Notes

RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs continue its three-game home stand on Monday night when they take on Southeast Missouri at 6:30 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.

LA Tech (1-0) looks to extend its eight-game home winning streak in the matchup with SEMO (1-0) which is part of the Cancun Challenge that both teams will be participating in prior to Thanksgiving in separate brackets.

The game can be seen with a paid subscription to CUSA.tv. Fans can listen to the “Voice of the Bulldogs” Dave Nitz and Jack Thigpen call the action on the LA Tech Sports Network on KXKZ 107.5 FM (Ruston) and KTKC 92.9 FM (Springhill) as well as on the Louisiana Tech X mobile app.

There was no rust to dust off in the regular season opener for the Bulldogs as they exploded on offense, getting over the century mark with a 112-71 blowout of UT Tyler.

The 112 points were the most scored in the first game of the season in program history (previous high was 97 in 1973). It marked the most points put up on the scoreboard since January of 2014.

The team shot a staggering 65 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range. All 14 Bulldogs got in on the action, led by sophomore guard Jalen Harris who registered a game-high and career-high 25 points in just 22 minutes of action.

He was 9-of-14 shooting, five of those makes coming from long range. His fellow sophomore teammates, point guard DaQuan Bracey, was just as efficient going 6-of-7 for 15 points to go along with seven assists (and zero turnovers).

All five newcomers got into the game to make their Bulldog debuts, playing at least six minutes and scoring at least one point.

The opponent, Southeast Missouri, heads into Ruston after winning its season opener, defeating Missouri State at home by 12 (81-69). SEMO took advantage at the free throw line, going 19-of-21 to help seal the victory.

The Redhawks are guided by third-year head coach Rick Ray who led Southeast to a 10-win increase in his second season when they finished 15-18 overall, making them the 22nd most improved team in NCAA Division I.

They are anchored by sophomore Denzel Mahoney who earned Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference honors after being a second team All-OVC selection last season as well as being named the 2016-17 OVC Freshman of the Year. He opened the 2017-18 campaign with a 21-point performance.

Monday will mark the sixth time LA Tech and SEMO will battle it out on the hardwood with the Bulldogs holding a slim 3-2 advantage in the series.

The Redhawks won the first ever meeting which was a 69-65 decision in Ruston in 1996. The road team won each of the first four meetings, but LA Tech broke the series tie in 2012 when they outlasted SEMO, 67-63, in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Twitter users can receive live in-game updates by following @LATechHoops.