Louisiana Tech’s men’s basketball team lost to FIU 84-76 on Saturday in their final home game of the season at the Thomas Assembly Center. Despite leading by seven points early in the second half, LA Tech was overtaken after FIU went on a 20-5 run, fueled by five three-pointers during that stretch.
The Bulldogs managed to reduce the deficit to four points with just over a minute left, following a layup by DJ Dudley. However, FIU secured the win by making all eight of their free throws in the closing moments and completed a season sweep over LA Tech.
LA Tech had difficulty early in the game, falling behind by ten before freshman Jaylen Fenner led a comeback with 19 first-half points. The Bulldogs briefly took control but entered halftime trailing 41-40.
Turnovers and fouls were significant issues for Louisiana Tech. The team committed 19 turnovers, which led to 27 points for FIU, and also recorded a season-high 22 fouls that resulted in 21 made free throws for their opponent.
Jaylen Fenner finished with a career-high 25 points. Dudley contributed 20 points—his eighth game this season scoring at least that many—and Avery Thomas II added ten after returning to action.
Head coach Talvin Hester commented on his team’s performance: “I thought we did not play with the right attitude. We did not have much life and energy to us being in a dogfight. We let FIU stay in the game. We had a couple of times where we could have pulled away.”
On FIU’s decisive run in the second half, Hester said: “We made some subs and did not get the same intensity. And some guys looked fatigued. Some of it had to do with our offense and turning the ball over. They got 27 points off turnovers. When you have 19 turnovers in a game, which has rattled us here of late, it makes it hard to win.”
Hester also praised Fenner’s effort: “He has a lot of Will Allen in him. He is committed to working. He is a competitor. He was giving everything he had for us.”
With this result, LA Tech now leads its all-time series against FIU by fifteen wins to ten and concludes its home schedule with fourteen victories out of seventeen games played at home this season.
Next up for Louisiana Tech is an away matchup against Liberty University on Thursday, March 5 at Lynchburg, Virginia.
