COLUMBUS, Ohio — Louisiana Tech jumped to an early lead it never relinquished to defeat Ohio State 82-74 on Tuesday. Alex Hamilton scored 24 points and Erik McCree added 17 with 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (4-0), who are off to their best start since 1998. Jacobi Boykins added 16 points and LeAntwan Luckett 10. “This is obviously a big win for us and our program,” Louisiana Tech first-year coach Eric Konkol said. McCree hit a 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes to play to give the Bulldog a 76-69 lead to put the game away. “I was really proud of our guys’ efforts for stemming the tide a couple of different moments in the game,” Konkol said. READ REID ON COLLEGE HOOPS The Bulldogs led 7-0 before Ohio State tied the score at 12. But Dayon Griffin hit a 3-pointer for Louisiana Tech to start a trend. The Buckeyes (2-2) tied the score at 25-all and 55-55 and the Bulldogs responded with treys on both occasions. “I felt like we relaxed when we tied it up,” Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate said. “We’ve got to learn the rest of the year to keep the foot on the pedal and keep those runs going.” Marc Loving led Ohio State with a career-high 25 points; Keita Bates-Diop scored 12 and JaQuan Lyle 10. Ohio State lost a second-straight game at home to a non-major conference opponent after winning its previous 151 back to December 1994. It continues to be a learning experience for a team that has seven freshmen and a transfer. “This team’s got to find itself,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. “We have to look at our weaknesses and find ways to correct them and get better at them.” Louisiana Tech led 42-38 at the half and charged to a 50-40 lead, only to see Loving make one of two foul shots to tie the score at 55. …
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