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Ruston, LA  -- Nathaniel Walker walked with his Southern teammates into the locker rooms dejected at halftime. After missing a potential game-tying three pointer four days ago, Walker had just two points, two turnovers, and three fouls in a first half that saw Southern fall behind by 20 points to Louisiana Tech.

"We were forcing the issue." said Southern coach Tyrell Coley. "We were overthinking our offense and it really bit us in the first half. I told our guys that we just need to play calm and focused and we'd be back in the game. Deficits like that, you just have the shake it up, pick your head up and slowly get back in the game."

Halfway through the second half, calm and focused took on a whole new meaning.

In the final 10 minutes of the game, Walker scored 29 of Southern's 39 points including six threes to propel the Jaguars to a 81-72 win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

"When Walker is on his game, I don't know if anyone can stop him." said Coley. "He was more than on fire, the man was like the Human Torch out there [laughs]."

The fifth year senior and transfer from Colorado State connected on 10 of 21 shots to lead all scorers with 31. He was also the only Southern player to score from beyond the arc.

Louisiana Tech (0-4) built a huge lead in the first half thanks to runs of 15-4 and 13-4. Leading the way was Haminn Wofford with 13 points and 7 assists. Holland Hess added 12 points and 8 rebounds as the Bulldogs shot 55% in the first half.

Southern (1-1) stepped up the defense in the second half using a full court trap. The Bulldogs struggled to keep the Jaguars at bay, and their lead slipped down to 10 before Walker returned to the game with 9:36 left.

With 3:08 remaining, a three by Walker cut the lead to 65-59. Walker would score the next 14 points for Southern, eventually tying the game twice at 67 and 70 before taking a 73-70 lead with 40.2 remaining - Southern's first lead of the entire game.

Chris Lang provided a huge spark in Walker's absence, scoring 16 points and adding nine assists off the bench. Moussa Camara added 9 points and 8 rebounds in the win.

Southern earns Coach Coley his first win of hopefully many at the Division I collegiate level. The Jaguars return home to Baton Rouge for their first game of the season at the F.G. Clark Center. Southern will host the McNeese State Cowboys (0-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m.