RUSTON, La. (AP) Erik McCree had 19 points and Louisiana Tech maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half to beat Rice 74-64 on Thursday night.
McCree had 15 points in the first half when the Bulldogs (13-6, 5-1 Conference USA) led by as many as 15. Jy'lan Washington's 3-pointer pushed their lead into double digits for good at 37-25 with 3:39 left in the period.
The Owls (12-7, 2-4) entered the game ranked 19th in the nation in points per game at 83.8 but had 23 turnovers leading to 33 points for Louisiana Tech.
The Bulldogs pulled away with a 17-7 run to lead 27-16 with 7:11 left in the first half. They lead by 13 at the break and had their largest lead at 68-44.
Omar Sherman added 12 points and Derric Jean scored 10 for the Bulldogs.
Marcus Jackson had 18 points and Marcus Evans scored 11 for the Owls.
