After Louisiana Tech went 2-4 in November, with all four losses coming to beatable teams, Louisiana Tech coach Kerry Rupp stressed things weren't as bad as they might have appeared.

"It only takes one spark to light a prairie fire, and we're still waiting on our spark," Rupp said after his team lost four straight to end the month.

Louisiana Tech found that spark in December, starting the month with a three-game win streak and finding its offense.

The Bulldogs averaged after 74.3 points per game in their first three games in December (all wins) after scoring just 58.5 per night in the four-game skid to close out November.

The learning curve for a roster that included just three players who got on the court for the Bulldogs a year ago -- guards Kyle Gibson and Jame Loe and forward Adrian Rogers -- seems a lot less steep as Western Athletic Conference play approaches than it did in November.

"We're still trying to get better on defense and rebounding every game,"

Rupp told the Shreveport Times. "Our ballhandling isn't as good as it should be, but we're making strides."

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