HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — AJ Bates had 27 points in Louisiana Tech’s 69-66 victory over Missouri State on Friday in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals.
Bates added six assists for the Bulldogs (20-13). DJ Dudley scored 10 points, going 5 of 9 from the field.
Michael Osei-Bonsu led the Bears (16-18) in scoring, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Keith Palek III added 15 points and Melakih Cunningham finished with 13 points.
Louisiana Tech pulled off the victory after a 7-0 second-half run gave them the lead at 41-36 with 14:03 left. Bates scored 11 second-half points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.