Lady Techsters enjoy compete performance in win over FIU, 81-62

Techsters Use Compete Performance In Win Over Owls

RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech women’s basketball team has now won five of their last six, including three in a row, with an all-around performance to beat Florida International 81-62 inside the Thomas Assembly Center in front of a pinked-out crowd Saturday afternoon.

The 19-point win is the largest margin of victory for the Techsters this season in conference-USA play and the 81 points is also their highest point total versus C-USA opponents.

FIU (11-9, 3-6 C-USA) took an early 2-0 lead on their first possession of the game but after back-to-back buckets from Salma Bates and Anna Larr Roberson, LA Tech (13-8, 5-5 C-USA) took absolute control and never looked back.

Tech spent the next six minutes enjoying a 16-3 run to take a 16-5 lead with 3:42 in the first quarter thanks to a quick six points from Bates, who finished the night with 13 points and five assists.

After a slow start, Keiunna Walker got going in the second quarter to score eight of her game-high 22 points on a perfect 9-9 shooting from the floor.

The Techsters closed out the half with a 9-1 run over the final 2:16 capped off by a Robyn Lee three-pointer to take a 40-27 lead into the break.

LA Tech continued to impress building their largest lead of the game to 27 (65-38) with 3:19 left in the third on their way to a to a 25-point quarter.

Amaya Brannon scored nine of her career-high 17 points in the quarter to go along with 11 more from Walker as Tech took a 65-40 lead into the fourth.

Brannon also finished one rebound off her career-high with eight.

To go along with Walker, Brannon, and Bates, Anna Larr Roberson also scored in double figures for the 14th straight time this season finishing with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

The Techsters ended the night with 15 assists on 31 made baskets led by Silvia Nativi with six.

Tech finished with their third straight game shooting over 50 percent from the field (.564) and their third straight game with 40 or more points in the paint (44).

Tech was also 50 percent from three (6-12) and 86.7 percent from the line (13-15) on the night.

NOTABLES
• Louisiana Tech is now 15-1 all-time versus Florida International and now 8-0 in games played in Ruston. They have also won four straight versus the Owls.
• Keiunna Walker has now scored in double-figures in 22 straight games and is one of three players in C-USA to have scored in double-figures in every game this season (Savannah Wheeler- Marshall and Zakyia Weathersby – UAB).
• Walker moved into No. 36 on the all-time scoring list passing both Shantel Hardison and Alisa Burras with 1,148 points. She is now chasing Tia Sossamon for No. 35 at 1,161 points.
• Walker also took her 24th and 25th charges of the season and now has 105 for her career.
• Amaya Brannon registered a career-high in points tonight with 17.
• Anna Larr Roberson double figures in 18 of 20 games this season including 14 straight.
• Roberson, the conference USA leader in free-throw percentage (0.85), making a span of 22 consecutive free-throws attempts. She was 3-4 on the night.
• Tech is now 8-1 at home this season.
• The Techsters are a perfect 8-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• LA Tech has scored 132 points in the paint over their last three games (44 ppg).

UP NEXT
The Lady Techsters will continue their home stand Monday Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center for a conference USA matchup against UTEP. The originally scheduled game was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns in the Miner’s program.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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