RUSTON, La - The Jackson State men's basketball team and Louisiana Tech spent the first 20-plus minutes of Friday's matchup exchanging small bursts of scoring.
The Bulldogs (1-1), however, were able to hit free throws down the stretch late in the second half to secure the 70-68 win, despite another double-double from
Jayveous McKinnis.
"I thought our guys fought hard and played to win," head coach
Wayne Brent said. "LA Tech is a very good team espescially with all of their players back from the team that made the NIT Tournament last season."
Jayveous McKinnis recorded his second doube-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He also protected the paint with 3 blocks.
Junior
Chance Moore was huge off the bench for the Tigers. With 2:48 left in regulation, Moore made an incredible move to get in the paint to draw a foul. He was a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe and would go on to finish with 12 points.
Ken Evans Jr. kept the Tigers close throughout the second half, tallying six of his 19 points in the final 20 minutes, sinking 7 of 12 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers.
Jackson State (0-2) whittled the lead to one on a three-pointer from Ken Evans after a steal from
Jonas James III with 0:45 seconds to play. However, Louisiana Tech was able to convert at the free throw line to seal the deal.
"Hopefully we can grow from this one and not be satisfied with playing close," Brent said.
Notables
- Jackson State State was 26-of-63 (41 percent) shooting from the field and 10-12 (75 percent) from the charity stripe
- Louisiana Tech shot 41 percent (24-of 58) from the field and 72 percent (16-22) from the free-throw line
- The Tigers registered 38 rebounds, including 26 on the defensive glass and 12 on the offensive glass
- The Bulldogs pulled down 34 rebounds, with 24 coming on the defensive end and 10 on the offensive end
-JSU finished with 30 points in the paint, 15 bench points, 11 fast-break points and 13 second-chance points
-Louisiana Tech registered 21 bench points, 36 points in the paint, 6 fast-break points and 8 second-chance points
Up Next
Jackson State will return to action when they travel to California Baptist University Tuesday, November 16. Tip-off is set for 6:30 P.M at the CBU Events Center and the contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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