Pierre scores 34, Jacksonville State defeats Louisiana Tech 70-68

RUSTON, La. (AP) — Jaron Pierre Jr.'s 34 points led Jacksonville State past Louisiana Tech 70-68 on Saturday night.

Pierre had six rebounds for the Gamecocks (18-8, 10-3 Conference USA). Quel'Ron House shot 3 of 5 from the field and 8 for 8 from the free-throw line to add 14 points. Koree Cotton shot 1 of 5 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the foul line to finish with seven points.

Daniel Batcho finished with 19 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (17-9, 6-7). Louisiana Tech also got 16 points from Amaree Abram. Kaden Cooper finished with eight points, 13 rebounds and two steals.

Pierre's 18-point second half helped Jacksonville State finish off the two-point victory.

NEXT UP

Both teams next play Thursday. Jacksonville State hosts New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech plays Middle Tennessee on the road.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.