Turnovers, fouls cost LA Tech in loss at Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Louisiana Tech was able to win the second half against Indiana, but dug itself too big of a hole in the first half, ultimately falling by a final score of 88-75 on Monday night in front of 11,930 inside Assembly Hall.

LA Tech (4-2) faced a 23-point deficit, its largest of the season, with 7:29 to go in the first half. It was a deficit the ‘Dogs were not able to overcome primarily because of the season-high 20 turnovers they committed and the 28 team fouls which resulted in 28 made free throws by Indiana (6-0).

“Indiana got off to a great start,” said head coach Eric Konkol. “They were ripping the ball up the floor which is something we wanted to prevent. They got good looks and got into a really good rhythm in that first half. We dug a hole trying to play too quick and turned the basketball over too much.

“Once we finally settled in, especially in that second half, we started playing a lot better. We just couldn’t defend well enough without fouling and that was a major difference in the game.”

The Hoosiers can into the game ranked in the top 10 in the country in scoring offense and field goal shooting percentage, and they certainly flexed their offensive muscle in the first 20 minutes by shooting 61 percent from the field and knocking down six three-pointers (their total game average coming in).

The Bulldogs were efficient as well, making 14-of-27 with six triples of their own. However, they turned the ball over 10 times, a stat that heavily contributed to the 52-36 halftime hole.

The defense started to come alive in the second half, forcing five turnovers in the first three minutes of action and a total of 18 for the entire contest. But, LA Tech uncharacteristically turned it over another 10 times in the second stanza.

What got them back into the ball game though was the bench who scored 46 points on the night. Junior Amorie Archibald, fully recovered from an ankle injury, scored a career-high 24 points. He hit five three-pointers and didn’t have a single turnover in 31 minutes of action.

There was also freshman Isaiah Crawford who came off the bench to tally a career-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Amorie played really well,” said Konkol. “He made a lot of really good decisions and gave us a real spark, shooting the basketball, passing the basketball. He played extremely well. And Isaiah is really growing before our eyes.”

LA Tech would end up outscoring Indiana, 39-36, in the second half, getting the deficit down to as much as 10 points at 65-55 with 9:34 to go in the game.

And despite holding Indiana to just 32 percent shooting in the second half, the home team made a living at the free throw line and cashed in 20 times alone in the second 20 minutes of action.

The Bulldogs finished with a better shooting percentage for the game, going 28-of-57 for 49 percent and 10-of-25 from deep for 40 percent. They also outscored the big Hoosiers squad in the paint, 36-34.

IU went 26-of-56 from the field for 48 percent and got to the charity stripe 38 times while making 28 for 74 percent. Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate Trayce Jackson-Davis led the way with 21 points and 11 boards.

LA Tech returns home to take on Samford on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.

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