Muhammed nets double-double in 82-61 win over North Alabama

RUSTON – Mubarak Muhammed recorded his second double-double of the season with a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Louisiana Tech to an 82-61 victory over North Alabama on Friday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.

In fact, the senior forward had the double-double by halftime. It was much needed as LA Tech (4-1) got off to a lethargic start as North Alabama (2-4) was up 22-13 just 11 minutes into the game.

Head coach Eric Konkol called a timeout and from then on, the switch was flipped and the Bulldogs turned good defense into good offense to register their fourth win on the early season.

“The difference was our defensive energy,” said Konkol. “We need to be able to score off our defense. Give North Alabama a lot of credit. They came in and played sharp basketball. I thought we were very lethargic on the offensive end, but out of that timeout we adjusted a couple of things and put our guys in a mindset of getting back to attacking basketball. And that is how we played for the next 30 minutes.”

It was a driving layup by reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year Jamari Blackmon of the Lions which forced the timeout. Up until that point, LA Tech was just 6-of-20 shooting from the field.

After the break, JaColby Pemberton came out and sank back-to-back baskets, including the squad’s first three-pointer (missed the first six of the game). The offense continued to roll from there as the ‘Dogs went 28-of-49 from the field the rest of the way.

LA Tech outscored UNA, 32-10, over the final minutes of the first half which was highlighted by three consecutive threes coming from Cobe Williams, DaQuan Bracey and Derric Jean to secure a 45-32 halftime edge.

Meanwhile in the paint, it was Muhammed cleaning everything up. He had 16 of his career-high 18 points at the midway point, including three offensive rebounds and putbacks.

“Rebounding, scoring, offensive rebounds and putbacks, taking charges, he was a huge bright spot for us,” said Konkol. “His rebounding is at an elite level.”

The Bulldogs’ lead was never tested throughout the second half, building as much as a 22-point advantage at 61-39 with 15:56 to go in the contest. Much of the reason for this was forcing 17 turnovers (scored 20 points off of) while only committing five.

“Winning the turnover margin is a huge part of what we want to do,” said Konkol. “Taking care of the basketball is better for our defense and if we can turn somebody over, it is great for our offense in getting more shots like we did tonight.”

LA Tech ended up shooting 49 percent from the field (34-69) with Jean and Bracey also tallying double-figure points with 13 and 10, respectively. The two combined for seven assists as well.

The Lions shot 47 percent from the field (22-47) as well as 47 percent from beyond the arc (8-17), but it was not enough. Blackmon finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including five three-pointers.

After back-to-back home victories, LA Tech will head back out on the road to face Big Ten foe Indiana in Bloomington on Monday, Nov. 25. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

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