Rawls helps Western Kentucky defeat Louisiana Tech 65-54

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Jordan Rawls scored 19 points. leading three into double-figure scoring and Western Kentucky defeated Louisiana Tech 65-54 on Thursday night, forging a second-place tie with the Bulldogs in conference.

Carson Williams had 14 points and eight rebounds for Western Kentucky (15-8, 8-3 Conference USA), which earned its sixth consecutive home victory. Camron Justice added 11 points. Josh Anderson had six rebounds.

The Hilltoppers dominated the first half and led 44-24 at the break. WKU was held to a season-low 21 points on 6-for-23 shooting in the second half, but Louisiana Tech couldn’t overcome a 22-point deficit.

DaQuan Bracey scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the Bulldogs (17-6, 8-3), whose four-game winning streak came to an end

Western Kentucky scored 19 points at the free-throw line while Louisiana Tech made 2 of 4.

Western Kentucky matches up against Southern Miss at home on Saturday. Louisiana Tech takes on Marshall on the road on Saturday.