JOURNAL STAFF
RUSTON — Louisiana Tech outlasted Rice 90-80 in a double-overtime thriller Thursday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center behind historic performances from Anna Larr Roberson and Keiunna Walker, whose feats were the first of their kind by teammates in the same game in 20 years of Division I women’s basketball.
Roberson poured in a career-best 44 points. Walker turned in only the fourth triple-double in the Techsters’ history with 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.
It had been two decades since D-1 women’s teammates produced a 40-point outing and a 20-point triple-double in the same contest, a combo that warranted game highlights featured on Scott Van Pelt’s ESPN SportsCenter.
Roberson piled up her scoring on 20-28 shooting to go along with nine rebounds.
Tech (16-10, 8-7 C-USA) led by 10 midway through the third quarter. Rice’s Ashlee Austin scored 14 straight of her team-high 27 to close the gap to 54-51 entering the fourth.
The Owls (10-12, 5-9) went on a 9-0 run to take a 58-52 lead with just three minutes remaining, but eight points from Roberson, including the game-tying basket with 42 seconds left, helped force overtime.
In the first extra period, teams traded the lead five times including Tech taking a 78-76 edge off two Walker free throws. With 10 seconds to go, Austin connected on a pair that extended the game for five more minutes. Roberson and Walker produced the final 12 points for Tech.
WOMEN
LSU 58, ALABAMA 50: In the regular-season home finale for the No. 8 Tigers (24-4, 12-3), senior Khayla Porter had 23 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists to clinch second in the SEC after winning just nine times last season.
NORTHWESTERN STATE 73, NICHOLLS 60: The Lady Demons (11-12, 4-8 Southland) shot over 50 percent and had five players in double figures for the first time in Anna Nimz’ two seasons as head coach. Candice Parramore matched her career high with 23 points for NSU, which held a 42-24 halftime lead. Visiting Nicholls (4-18, 2-9) got a game-best 25 points from Chelsea Cain.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 83, ULM 68: In Monroe, the Warhawks’ winless Sun Belt season continued. ULM (4-23, 0-13) fell behind by 31 in the third quarter after 17 unanswered points by the Eagles (17-8, 8-5).
MEN
LOUISIANA TECH 83, RICE 79: In Houston, the Bulldogs (20-7, 11-4 C-USA) led for all but three minutes but couldn’t extend its advantage as the Owls (14-13, 6-9), one of the country’s better 3-point shooting teams, nailed 11 treys. Tech sank 10 of 12 free throws down the stretch and shot 52 percent overall from the floor as Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored 16 and Amorie Archibald notched 14 to lead five double-digit scorers. Rice’s Carl Pierre led everybody with 20 points but the Bulldogs won on Autrey Court for the first time since 2016, reaching 20 wins for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
NICHOLLS 80, NORTHWESTERN STATE 62: In Prather Coliseum, Captain Shreve product Kendal Coleman recorded his 15th double double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, but miserable aim from the backcourt and explosive scoring by Nicholls’ Ty Gordon doomed the Demons (8-21, 4-8 Southland). Gordon had 21 of his 30 points by halftime, draining 5 treys as the Colonels (19-9, 9-2) erased an early 7-point hole midway through the half and zoomed up 49-31 at the break, moving into a tie for the league lead with UNO, who visits NSU Saturday afternoon.
Photo by SADIE PATTON/Louisiana Tech
