Preview: Missouri State Bears at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs RUSTON, La. (Interstat) — A tightly contested Conference USA series will see its second chapter Thursday when the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs host the Missouri State Bears at the Thomas Assembly Center. The matchup comes just two weeks after the teams played an instant classic in Springfield, Mo., on Feb. 12. Louisiana Tech (15-12, 8-6 CUSA) escaped with a 79-78 double-overtime road victory, a result that has contributed to Missouri State’s (13-14, 5-9) current five-game losing skid. Both teams are looking to rebound from road losses last Saturday. The Bears fell 70-67 at Florida International, while the Bulldogs dropped a 58-55 defensive battle at Kennesaw State. The rematch will feature a compelling duel between two of the league’s top performers. Missouri State guard Kobi Williams enters on a scoring tear, averaging 21.2 points over his last six games. He poured in 25 points in the loss to FIU and scored 24 in the first meeting with Louisiana Tech. He will be countered by Louisiana Tech’s versatile forward Kaden Cooper. Cooper was pivotal in the first win over Missouri State, scoring 17 points. He is coming off an 18-point performance at Kennesaw State and earlier this month posted a dominant 16-point, 18-rebound effort in a win over Sam Houston. The Bulldogs have found success at home this season, boasting a 10-3 record in Ruston. Missouri State, meanwhile, has struggled away from home, going 3-9 in true road games. A key for Louisiana Tech will be containing Williams while finding more consistent offense after being held to 55 points last time out. For the Bears, reversing recent fortunes in close games is paramount; four of their five consecutive losses have been by four points or fewer, including the double-overtime heartbreaker to these same Bulldogs. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CST tip-off Thursday, Feb. 26. Louisiana Tech will host Florida International on Saturday, while Missouri State travels to face Sam Houston.