RUSTON, La. (AP) -- Jaron Johnson scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Louisiana Tech crushed FIU 85-51 on Saturday night.
Louisiana Tech (14-3, 2-0 Conference USA) led 42-24 at intermission, mostly due to the Bulldogs 19 trips to the foul line while FIU attempted just seven.
FIU (9-8, 1-1) also lost the rebounding battle, allowing Louisiana Tech 11 first half offensive rebounds and grabbing only five on their end. The Bulldogs entered the game ranked 12th in Division I rebounding, averaging 41.6 per game.
Things got worse for FIU in the second frame as Tech inched further ahead and led 62-35 midway through when Jaron Johnson dunked the ball on a feed by Kenneth Smith. It was Johnsons third inside the paint basket in just over a minute.
FIU had no answer for Tech's dominance inside and suffered a 34 point loss.
Tymell Murphy led FIU with 13 points and nine rebounds.
