Louisiana Tech holds off Southern 83-76
RUSTON, La. (AP) Erik McCree scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Alex Hamilton added 19 points with seven assists, and Louisiana Tech beat Southern University 83-76 on Friday night.
Derric Jean scored a career-high 15 points and Branden Sheppard added 10 for the Bulldogs (9-2), who shot 50 percent in the first half and led 40-29 at halftime behind 12 points from McCree and 11 from Hamilton.
Southern gained on a 16-4 run in the second half in which Adrian Rogers scored two 3-pointers, then led 52-51 on Tony Nunn's layup with 10:11 left. But McCree scored six points in a 13-2 run and the Bulldogs were back on top 63-54 with 6:48 to go, and they outshot the Jaguars 8-7 in the final 1:17.
Rodgers scored 23 points with four 3-pointers, Jared Sam added 18 and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Trelun Banks had 17 for Southern (7-4).
