Louisiana Tech Passes Illinois Test

Louisiana Tech Coach Kurt Budke says he takes his team on the road early in the season to face adversity.

Adversity came Monday night at Champaign, Ill., in the form of a 6:51 scoring drought late in the second half, but the 12th-ranked Lady Techsters (2-0) held on to defeat Illinois, 67-61.

“I was really proud the team was able to fight through it,” Budke said.

The Lady Techsters missed nine consecutive shots as they watched a 16-point lead drop to two points with 1:45 remaining. The teams traded missed shots and free throws until, with 22 seconds remaining and Illinois trailing, 64-61, the Illini turned the ball over on an errant pass.

Illinois (1-1) never got another shot as Lakiste Barkus sank three of four free throws to help secure the victory for Louisiana Tech.

Barkus finished with 16 points to lead the Lady Techsters. Trina Frierson and Erica Smith-Taylor scored 14 points each, and Amisha Carter added 13.

“It was two teams fighting and scrapping for everything they could get,” Budke said. “At times it was tough to make a pass.”

Tiffanie Guthrie had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead Illinois, which committed 26 turnovers.

No. 19 Oklahoma 83, Southeast Missouri 48 -- Leah Rush scored 16 points and Caton Hill added 14 to lead the Sooners (2-0) at Norman, Okla. Oklahoma pulled away in the second half, making 67% of its shots. Chandra Brown’s 16 points and seven rebounds led Southeast Missouri State (1-2), which shot 30%.

No. 23 Texas Christian 74, Southern Methodist 64 -- Amy Pack scored 19 points and Tiffany Evans added 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Horned Frogs (2-0) at Dallas. Kaira White led SMU (0-1) with 17 points.