Nevada snapped Louisiana Tech's eight-game home winning streak but the Bulldogs remain a game ahead of both the Wolf Pack and Utah State for first place in the WAC standings. Utah State dropped a game at New Mexico State while Hawai'i beat Idaho in Honolulu, 81-61, in other action around the league.
Nevada 65, Louisiana Tech 53
RUSTON, La. (AP) - Nick Fazekas scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Nevada defeated Louisiana Tech 65-53 Thursday night.
Fazekas was 8-of-16 from the field, made one 3-pointer and was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Marcelus Kemp added 16 points for the Wolf Pack (16-5, 6-3 Western Athletic Conference).
Paul Millsap led the Bulldogs (14-8, 7-2) with a double-double of his own; 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Nevada led 26-25 at the half, and outscored Louisiana Tech 39-28 in the second. The Wolf Pack also got 24 points from Bulldog turnovers.
New Mexico State 93, Utah State 86
Las Cruces, N.M. ?“ Juniors Elijah Ingram and David Fisher each dropped in a career high in points as the New Mexico State Aggies downed the Utah State Aggies 93-86, Thursday night at the Pan American Center. The Aggies improve to 9-10 on the year and 5-3 in WAC play while Utah State falls to 15-5 on the season and 6-3 in WAC games.
Three Aggies scored over 20 points as Ingram (East Orange, N.J.) scored 28 while also dishing out four assists and three steals while Fisher (Dallas, Texas) dropped in 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Mike Mitchell (San Antonio, Texas) added 21 points on the night and Ted Knauber (Albuquerque, N.M.) knocked down 10 while the Aggies out-rebounded Utah State 24-20. As a team, NMSU shot 62 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line while hitting 8-of-17 three-pointers.
Utah State shot lights out from the three-point line, connecting on 20-of-34 attempts while Jaycee Carroll totaled 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc to lead the Aggies. The 20 three-point field goals set a new WAC record while Carroll's 10 treys, tied the WAC record set by Hawai'i's Trevor Ruffin against Louisville during the 1993-94 season. Nate Harris added 18 points on the night and Durrall Peterson dropped in 12 while Utah State committed 18 turnovers to NMSU?™s nine. As a team, USU shot 61 percent from the floor, 59 percent from the three-point line and 75 percent at the charity stripe.
Hawai'i 81, Idaho 61
HONOLULU - The Hawai'i men's basketball team remained unbeaten at home in Western Athletic Conference play following an 81-61 victory over Idaho, Thursday night, at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors (11-8, 5-4 WAC) improved to 5-0 at the SSC in WAC games and 11-2 overall.
The 'Bows snapped a two-game losing streak with a season-best 63.3 percent shooting performance. UH overcame an early 11-7 deficit and used a 19-6 run to end the half. UH shot a blistering 76.2 percent in the first half, converting 16 of their 21 attempts, and led 42-29. Guard Matt Lojeski was a perfect 5-for-5 and had a team-high 13 points at the break.
Forward Julian Sensley finished with game-high honors of 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. The senior finished 10-of-14 shooting and had two blocks and three steals. Lojeski eclipsed his career-high with 21 points including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Forward Ahmet Gueye chipped in with 11 points while freshman guard Dominic Waters had a season-high 11 points off the bench.
The Vandals (3-16, 0-8) dropped their 10th straight game and first in seven meetings between the schools. They were led by guard Tanoris Shepard's 18 points while guard Keoni Watson added 13 points and six rebounds.