By JASON HINES

Sports Writer

The Bulldog basketball team grasped its first road win of the season Saturday, defeating the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff 71-59.

The Bulldogs (2-2) struggled early as the Golden Eagles (0-5) took the initiative, opening up a 6-0 lead before Tech called its first timeout.

Tech tied the game at 22 with 8:55 left in the first half, but the Golden Eagles took a 39-32 halftime lead.

"I thought they came out with more energy, more juice, to start the game," Tech head coach Keith Richard said. "This was their first home game of the season, and we were a step behind in the first half, especially defending the 3-point shot."

UAPB's dominance from three-point land was a key factor in its early lead. The Golden Eagles knocked down 50 percent (6-12) of their first half 3-point shots.

The Golden Eagles started the second half at full steam, until Tech regained the momentum when junior guard Corey Dean stole the ball and dunked it with 17:04 left in the game.

The Bulldogs tied the game at 44 at the 14:54 mark on a layup by Dean.

Tech led the rest of the game, and Dean brought the Bulldogs' lead to double digits with 38.7 seconds left on a couple of free throws.

"We finally turned our defense into some offense in the second half," Richard said. "We finally took away the 3-point line. That bothered them and finally let us do what we'd been trying to do."

Dean led Tech by scoring a career-high 22 points, including shooting 12-of-15 from the free throw line.

Freshman forward Paul Millsap achieved his second double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Allick (13 points) and junior guard JueMichael Young (10 points) also scored in double digits.

Tech's second away game ended in a 75-72 loss on a 3-point buzzer-beater by Northern Iowa's Matt Schneiderman.

"The thing we were worried about coming into the game came back to bite us -- the 3-pointer," Richard said. "Hopefully, it will be a learning lesson. The 3-point line was something we wanted to take away, and we didn't."

Trailing 37-28 at the half, the Bulldogs battled back in the second half, outscoring Northern Iowa 44-28 until Schneiderman's buzzer beater.

Young led the team with 16 points, followed by Dean's 14. Forward Barry Thompson and guard Bruce Edwards had strong performances, coming off the bench with 10 points apiece.

Tech picked up its first win of the year at home against Jackson State.

After struggling in the opening minutes of the game, Tech came back to lead 33-31 at the half.

"We're not always going to be pretty, but this team has grit," Richard said. "They showed a lot of toughness out there."

The Bulldogs outscored Jackson State 44-32 in the second half on their way to a 77-63 win.

"I'm proud of this victory," Richard said. "I told the team at the half that it was close and that was good for us. Anytime you step out on the floor you can get beat. I wanted to see if we would show backbone after that ugly first half.

"Every day is a learning experience for a team this young, and we learned today that we can be tough."

Five players broke double digit scoring. Millsap (15 points, 10 rebounds), and Allick (14 points, 10 rebounds) both earned their first career double-doubles.

Powell and Dean rounded out the starters in double digits with 14 and 11 points, respectively, and junior Barry Thompson scored 10 points off the bench.

The Bulldogs kicked off their season at the University of Alabama with an early lead of 13-4. Alabama fought back and tied the game at 22 points with 5:44 left in the first half.

The Tide's momentum continued through the rest of the first half, leading the Bulldogs 35-29 at the half.

In the second half, Tech managed to keep pace with Alabama but was unable to overcome their lead at the half, falling short 69-63.

"I think we had a good effort, especially against a good SEC team," Allick said. "This is something we can definitely build on. We just have to get better in our execution."

Allick (19 points) and Dean (17 points) led the Bulldogs in scoring. Millsap was also in the double digits with 10 points and led in rebounds with nine.

The Bulldogs will face UAPB again Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the TAC.