SMU forward Papa Dia goes for a slam dunk during play. SMU (4-3) takes on Louisiana Tech (5-2) tonight in Ruston, La. (Tyler Williams/The Daily Campus)

The Mustangs look for their first road win and fourth consecutive victory of the season as they take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-2) Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Riding a three-game winning streak, SMU (4-3) continues to show improvement following a record-setting 72.3 percent performance in shooting from the field in the team’s 102-70 win over Lamar University.

Led by senior Papa Dia and junior Robert Nyakundi in scoring, the team has been averaging 48.4 percent from the field, with Dia averaging 16.6 points per game and Nyakundi adding an average of 14.7 points per game.

Dia, who had his second double double of the season in Sunday’s win over Central Arkansas, leads the team in rebounds with an average of 8.6 boards per game.

However, the Bulldogs out rebound the Mustangs, with SMU averaging just 27.3 boards per game compared to the Bulldog’s 39.1.

SMU’s defense has also shown tremendous improvement, holding Central Arkansas to only 32 points in the first half and 48.3 percent (28-of-58) shooting in the entire game.

The Mustangs trail 7-3 in the series but won the last meeting between the teams in a 73-70 at Moody Coliseum in 2005.

Wednesday’s game marks the first time the teams have played each other since SMU made the move from the Western Athletic Conference to Conference USA at the end of the 2004-05 season. SMU is 1-3 against the Bulldogs on their home court.

SMU, who trailed Tech by as many as 16 points, chipped away at the Bulldogs’ lead in the second half to come back and win the game 73-70, making it the Mustangs’ third largest comeback in school history.

Tech, led by DeAndre Brown with a 17.1 point per game average also has the support of Olu Ashaolu and Brandon Gibson with 14.6 and 10.7 points per game, respectively.

As a whole, the Bulldogs have been shooting 44.5 percent from the field. On defense, the Bulldogs have held their opponents to just 41.6 from the field.

The Bulldogs host the Mustangs after coming off a 74-65 loss to the University of Arkansas Little-Rock but had previously won five consecutive games, all of which came on their home court.

The Mustangs return to Moody Coliseum this weekend to host the Grambling State Tigers (1-5) on Saturday at 5 p.m.

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