RUSTON, La. -- Louisiana Tech fought through injuries, sickness and foul trouble Sunday to defeat Sam Houston State, 76-69, in the Bulldogs' home opener inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
Louisiana Tech (2-0) had four players score in double figures, led by 17 points from sophomore Amorie Archibald, who battled through a cold. Four Bulldogs recorded seven or more rebounds to win the glass, 43-29, and score 16 second-chance points.
"We knew we were going to play a good, hard-playing team in Sam Houston State and they proved that to be true," said Louisiana Tech head coach Eric Konkol.
"We got off to a good start making a lot of shots from the perimeter to get out to a good lead, but we knew they would keep coming and not just let this one go. The adversity we faced more than anything was foul trouble, a limited bench and the pressure created by Sam Houston State."
Louisiana Tech was without junior starting guard DaQuan Bracey, the team's leading returning scorer from last season.
"In the times of a game when you don't shoot well, rebounding can really keep you in the game," Konkol said. "It did tonight. Without rebounding, I don't think we come away with the win. The activity of several of our guys of just getting a hand on the ball and keeping it alive was huge for us."
The first nine points came from the same spot on the floor in the corner with sophomore Anthony Duruji hitting the first triple and Archibald following up with back-to-back threes
Archibald made his third 3-pointer off the assist from junior Mubarak Muhammed to give the Bulldogs a 22-6 advantage with 13:42 to play in the first half, forcing a timeout by Sam Houston (2-1).
The lead grew to 18 at 39-21 when junior Ra'Shawn Langston got in on the 3-point action and Muhammed got an offensive rebound, one of his team-high 10 boards, and the putback.
The Bearkats answered with a 10-1 run to get the deficit back into single digits. Archibald was able to get an offensive rebound and putback of his own for the final bucket of the first half, providing Louisiana Tech with a 45-33 edge going into the locker room.
Foul trouble mounted for the Bulldogs in the second half, and so did the turnovers. Nine turnovers during that span allowed the Bearkats to go on an 11-0 run and take their first lead of the game at 52-51 after two free throws made by Cameron Delaney.
Chad Bowie gave Sam Houston a three-point advantage at 56-53 with 9:43 to go. Sophomore JaColby Pemberton then hit a corner three for the hosts to knot the game up for a third time at 56-56. It was the only trey of the second half for the Bulldogs.
Pemberton and junior Oliver Powell combined for the next 10 points to force a Bearkat timeout. The Bulldogs led, 66-58, with 5:41 to play.
"Early in the second half, we had to quickly make substitutions due to fouls," Konkol said. "Sam Houston State caught some momentum and really attacked.
"We had several empty possessions, turning the basketball over many times. When you do that, it is easy offense for the other team. Fortunately, we were able to re-center ourselves and had several guys contribute to that to get several stops and play better offense down the stretch."
The Bulldogs went 8-for-10 from the foul line down that stretch and got a backdoor layup from Archibald to come away with its fifth straight series win over Sam Houston and its 12th straight victory in a home opener.
Duruji finished with 12 points, 10 of those coming in the first half. Powell and Pemberton were the other two Bulldogs in double figures with 11 points apiece as the team shot 21-for-48 from the field, 44 percent, and just 8-for-27 from three, 30 percent, while sinking 26 free throws.
Sophomore Exavian Christon started, played 21 minutes and scored eight points. He was 2-for-4 from the floor and 0-for-2 from 3-point, but he was 3-for-4 at the free throw line.
Christon struggled with foul trouble in the game, picking up four. He also had a team-high four turnovers in the game.
Sam Houston State also had four players in double figures, led by Delaney with a game-high 20 points. The Bearkats were limited to 38 percent shooting, 21-for-55.
Louisiana Tech will play its second home game in three days today at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center against Harding. The game will be streamed live on CUSA.tv, which requires a subscription.
Today is the team's last home game of the month. The Bulldogs are looking to start the season 3-0 for the third time in four years under Konkol.
Great American Conference member Harding is 0-2 after losing both games of the Central Region Tipoff Classic in Warrensburg, Mo. The Bisons lost, 85-62, to Central Missouri and, 99-76, to Pittsburg State.
Harding is led by freshman forward Gabriel Divic, who is averaging 12.5 points per game. The Bisons were picked to finished 10th out of the 12 teams in the conference.
Today will mark the fourth-ever meeting between the two teams. Louisiana Tech won the first matchup, 89-83, in 1965 in Ruston. The Bulldogs also won the second and third meetings in 2001 and 2002.
Sports on 11/13/2018