MICHAEL LOVETT
Staff Reporter | mdl034@latech.edu
The Louisiana Tech men and women’s basketball teams played their final home games on Saturday, as each team saw a senior play their final 40 minutes in the Thomas Assembly Center.
Seniors Alexus Malone and Jacobi Boykins played their final home games in the TAC with each game yielding different results. In Malone’s case, she couldn’t have envisioned her time in the TAC ending more perfectly than it did on Saturday.
The Lady Techsters beat the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles to the tune of 32 points, as five players scored in double figures and the team set a program record for 3-pointers made in a single game, connecting on 14 of 28 shots from behind the arc.
“I wasn’t expecting such a huge win in my last game at the TAC,” Malone said. “I’m going to miss everything about the TAC, especially the fans.”
Malone’s roommate and one of her best friends, junior forward Reauna Cleaver, praised Malone for her value to the team.
“She is a great teammate in every sense of the word,” she said. “When things go right, of course she’s cheering and so enthused about what everyone else accomplishes. Then, when things go wrong, she’s gotten so much better at speaking up.”
Junior guard Kierra Anthony also had another big game, scoring 12 points and dishing out a career-high 10 assists, as she fell two rebounds shy of recording only the fourth triple-double in program history.
Cleaver had 11 points while guard Taylor Stahley added 19 of her own, and sophomore Anna McLeod also scored a career-high 18 points off the bench.
Unlike the first, the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader did not have the happiest of endings for Tech fans.
The men’s team fell to Conference-USA leader Middle Tennessee by the score of 87-70.
The Bulldogs struggled from the field as they shot just 38 percent and were outrebounded 44-25. The Blue Raiders scored 19 second chance points off of 18 offensive rebounds.
“They had some big guys but that’s not an excuse,” said freshman forward Anthony Duruji. “I felt like we weren’t very determined to finish plays with rebounding earlier in the game, which hurt us.”
Boykins, who led the team with 22 points, will finish his college career holding the program records for most three-pointers made in a season with 89 and most career threes with 255 and counting.
“Having Jacobi as a teammate has been an honor,” said freshman guard Exavian Christon. “As a freshman having him to look up to has really helped my work ethic and trying to be the guy that can lead the program to more success like he has.”
The team also honored junior center Joniah White, who announced the end of his playing career earlier this season due to health complications.
The Lady Techsters will be traveling to play UAB on Saturday while the men will travel to El Paso to play UTEP tonight at 8 pm.