RUSTON - Louisiana Tech survived a fast paced offense from the visiting New Mexico State Aggies Saturday night in front of a crowd of 3,845 in the Thomas Assembly Center to remain in sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference and perfect at home by a final score of 66-61.
The Bulldogs wasted no time on offense and got up as much as 12-3 with 15:46 in the first half before the Aggies were able to get an offense going. New Mexico State was able to tie the game at 16 with 12:19 on the clock in the first period.
The Bulldogs managed to pull ahead for the remainder of the half thanks to a lay up from junior forward Chad Mackenzie at the 5:35 mark that put the score at 24-23, and Tech took a 35-30 lead into the halftime locker room after shooting 50 percent from the floor.
Tech kept the lead for the remainder of the game but never seemed to pull away and extend the lead further than nine points.
Junior star forward Paul Millsap finished with his 58th double-double after scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, yet only scored eight points in the second half.
San Jose State 57, Idaho 53
Moscow, Idaho - The San Jose State University men?™s basketball team ended a pair of losing streaks in a 57-53 win over the University of Idaho in a Western Athletic Conference game.
The Spartans (5-12, 1-3 WAC) won for the first time in eight games dating back to December 10, 2005. The victory also was San Jose State?™s first conference road win in 22 contests dating back to a February 15, 2003 triumph at the University of Hawaii.
Despite leading the entire second half, the Spartans needed a free throw from starting guard Tyree Gardner with 2.4 seconds to go for the win. Alex Elam and Demetrius Brown each scored 16 to lead San Jose State in scoring.
Hawai'i 73, Fresno State 65
HONOLULU - The Hawai'i men's basketball team used a stifling zone defense and a 15-0 run in the second half for a 73-65 victory over Western Athletic Conference rival Fresno State, Saturday night, at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors (9-6, 3-2 WAC) snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 9-2 at home this season.
The Bulldogs (9-7, 2-3) attempted a new WAC record 37 3-pointers, breaking the old mark of 36, most recently matched by Tulsa in 2003. In addition, the total was also a new UH opponent record, smashing the old mark of 31.
Four 'Bows scored in double figures led by forward Julian Sensley's 21 points, 15 of which occurred in the second half. Sensley, who needs eight points to become the 12th UH player to score 1,000, also had six rebounds and six assists. Guard Matt Lojeski complemented Sensley with 20 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Lojeski tied his season-high in scoring while also grabbing a career-high seven rebounds.
Forward Ahmet Gueye added 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while guard Deonte Tatum had 10 points and five assists.
Fresno State's two leading scorers, Quinton Hosley and Ja'Vance Coleman, each scored 18. Hosley also had 16 rebounds while Coleman led the Bulldog long range attack with four 3-pointers in 13 attempts. As a team, the Bulldogs converted 13-of-37 attempts from beyond the arc.