RODERIC LLOYD
Staff Reporter | rsl010@latech.edu
Louisiana Tech hit a season high 14 3-pointers, 11 of which came in the first half, en route to an 89-66 victory over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Tech (13-9, 4-5 Conference USA) came out firing on all cylinders, as they shot 70 percent from the field and led the Golden Eagles (11-11, 4-5 C-USA) by as much as 31 in the opening half. Jacobi Boykins and Jy’lan Washington led the Bulldogs’ early attack combining for 32 of the teams 57 first-half points.
“I thought the energy in the first half was fantastic,” Tech head coach Eric Konkol said. “It really started all week in practice. The guys were ready to play. The shoot around today was really good. A good shooting performance really creates a lot of energy, but defensively, the guys really took a lot of pride in what we were trying to do. I thought our offense developed and was sparked by our defense tonight.”
The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles traded 3-pointers to begin the contest, but it was Tech who continuously hit them throughout the game. The Bulldogs’ first five field goals came from beyond the arc before Washington ended that streak with a layup.
Boykins led the early surge with all of his 20 points coming in the opening half behind a perfect six out of six on 3-pointers. Tech entered intermission up 57-27 and never looked back as the Bulldogs earned their 13th straight home victory against the Golden Eagles.
Amorie Archibald did much of the distributing of the evening, as he earned his second double-double of the season finishing with 14 points and tied a career high with 10 assists. Archibald finished the game with a 10 to 1 turnover ratio and led Tech to 21 assists against only nine turnovers, which was a focus coming in.
“Turnover margin was what we talked about coming in, and Southern Miss is really one of the best in the country – by far the best in our league, at plus-six,” Konkol said. “Taking care of the basketball and getting good shots was a huge part of this game and the guys were able to execute that.”
Tech cooled off some in the second half, as the Golden Eagles scored seven straight to begin the final frame. The Bulldogs quickly ended all hopes of a comeback with back to back field goals from Oliver Powell and Archibald.
Three other Bulldogs joined Boykins and Archibald in double figures. Washington came off the bench to score 15 points while Powell and JaColby Pemberton each contributed 10 points. Tech finished the contest shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range.
Southern Miss was held to only 38 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc. USM was led in scoring by Tyree Griffin and LaDavius Draine, who recorded 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Tech will now look to continue its three-game winning streak on the road as it takes on Florida Atlantic tonight in Boca Raton, Florida.