LA Tech falls at UAB in regular season finale

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a back-and-forth first half between Louisiana Tech and UAB, the Blazers held the lead for the entire second half to hand the Bulldogs an 87-74 loss on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale at Bartow Arena.

The first 20 minutes had six ties and a flurry a lead changes as LA Tech (21-9, 12-6 C-USA) was down 39-36 going into halftime. The Bulldogs got two free throws from Amorie Archibald on their opening possession of the second half, but that was as close as they would get as the Blazers ended up building as much as a 15-point lead.

The ‘Dogs did much of their offensive damage inside with 40 paint points. Kenneth Lofton, Jr. was a big part of that, recording his 16th double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

However, UAB (24-7, 14-4 C-USA) matched that scoring inside while also getting five three-pointers apiece from guards Michael Ertel and Jordan Walker.

LA Tech looked out of it, down 75-61 with 3:52 to go, but its full court pressure forced back-to-back turnovers and in the span of 20 seconds they scored seven straight points to get to within seven.

The Bulldogs nearly got a defensive stop on the following possession, but Archibald was whistled for fouling Ertel on a three-point attempt that resulted in three made three throws to put the visiting team back down double-digits.

Cobe Williams and David Green were the recipient of back-to-back assists by Lofton, but the Blazers closed out the game on a 9-2 run.

LA Tech shot 47.5 percent from the field, but could only manage six three-pointers. Half of those came from Keaston Willis who had 11. Archibald and Williams added 14 and 12 points, respectively.

UAB was efficient in all three phases – 56.1 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from three-point range and 86.7 percent from the foul line. Jordan Walker and Ertel combined for 44 points.

QUOTABLES
Head coach Eric Konkol

“Any mistake we made today, UAB made us pay. We are talking small mistakes like a missed rotation, bad feet, fouls. They scored in every single way possible. I was very pleased with the way we took care of the basketball. I did not think we lacked in effort today.”

NOTABLES
• With the loss, LA Tech now trails in the all-time series with UAB, 8-9. The Blazers swept the series this season.
• LA Tech scored 40 points in the paint, the second most in a C-USA game this season. It marked the fifth time this season with 40+ paint points.
• LA Tech committed only nine turnovers. It was only the fourth time this season the Blazers were not able to force at least 10 turnovers.
• Kenneth Lofton, Jr. registered his 16th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. It was the seventh time this season the power forward has had a 20-10 game.
• For the fifth time this season, Kenneth Lofton, Jr. led the Bulldogs in points, rebounds and assists. He added four assists to his stat sheet.
• Keaston Willis scored 11 points while making three three-pointers, giving him 82 for the season. He has also scored in double figures in 12 of the last 14 games.

UP NEXT: Tech to Face Winner of FIU/Marshall on Wednesday in C-USA Tournament

With the conclusion of the regular season, Louisiana Tech is the West No. 3 seed in the 2022 Heritage Landscape Supply Group C-USA Basketball Championships in Frisco, Texas.

LA Tech, who finished conference play with a 12-6 record, will await the winner of the FIU/Marshall game, a matchup that will take place on Wednesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. CT inside the Ford Center at The Star.

The Bulldogs faced both the Panthers and Thundering Herd once during the regular season, winning both. LA Tech was an 86-82 winner over FIU in Miami and defeated Marshall in the C-USA opener by a score of 79-56 in Ruston.

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