Nevada 95, Boise State 81
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -Senior forward Nick Fazekas scored 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead No. 11/10 Nevada to its ninth straight win, 95-81 over Boise State on Saturday night.
The Wolf Pack (26-2, 12-1 Western Athletic Conference) clinched their fourth straight conference title. Nevada will play its third straight road game at Utah State on Thursday before getting a rematch with one of two teams to beat them, New Mexico State, at home on March 3.
Fazekas, the 2005 and 2006 WAC player of the year, scored seven points in the last three minutes of the first half and 15 in the second half. Junior Ramon Sessions added 17 points, senior Denis Ikovlev had 14, senior Kyle Shiloh 12 and junior Marcelus Kemp 10.
Junior Matt Nelson and senior Coby Karl paced Boise State (16-11, 8-6) with 19 points apiece. Nelson also added 10 boards.
Nevada led 44-42 at the half and immediately went to work to start the second half.
A quick jumper by Fazekas, a 3-pointer by Ikovlev and another jumper and free throw by Fazekas gave the Wolf Pack some immediate breathing room.
Shiloh then hit a layup to bring the lead to 54-44 before Ikovlev and Kemp each hit 3s for a 60-46 lead.
Boise State got within six points at the 5:38 mark, but a 3-pointer by freshman forward Tyrone Hanson and Fazekas' layup gave the Wolf Pack another double-digit lead, and the Broncos never recovered.
The two teams traded baskets during a fast-paced first half in which both teams shot 60 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes.
Karl hit a pair of free throws to give Boise State a 19-14 lead, but Nevada roared back with a jumper by Fazekas and seven straight points from Kemp.
Nevada also took a five-point lead at one point, when Hanson hit a 3-pointer, but the teams continued to trade points to end the half.
Shiloh also grabbed nine boards for the Wolf Pack.
Nevada hit 53 percent from the field, and 50 percent from 3-point range.
Louisiana Tech 84, Utah State 71
RUSTON -- On an electric senior night at home Saturday, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (10-18; 7-8 WAC) finished off the Utah State Aggies (20-9; 8-6 WAC) 84-71 in front of 1886 fans.
The Bulldogs finished with the third highest shooting percentage in the Thomas Assembly Center at 66.7 percent from the field on 30-of-45 shooting led by senior Jerome Richardson and sophomore Drew Washington who scored 14 points apiece and gave Tech head coach Keith Richard 150 wins for his career.
“We played really well tonight,” Richard said. “This was maybe the best we’ve played all year. And it came on a good night. We honored our seniors for their hard work and we players from past Bulldog teams watching. It was just a great night for us.”
The Bulldogs got down as much as six points early in the first half but took the lead back at the 8:19 mark 25-24 and never trailed for the remainder of the night.
Five Bulldogs finished in double figure scoring after Richardson and Washington with seniors Chad McKenzie and Trey McDowell finishing with 13 points apiece and Terry Parker finishing with 10.
Richard said he was pleased with the play of his seniors for the night.
“These six seniors were part of a team that went to post-season play,” Richard said. “This year, wins have been harder to come by. They certainly deserved to win tonight.”
Fresno State 60, New Mexico State 58
Las Cruces, N.M. - Fresno State only trailed once Saturday night and controlled the tempo in a hostile Pan American Arena, leading to a 60-58 victory and snapping New Mexico State's 19-game home winning streak Saturday night in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Bulldogs won for the first time at New Mexico State and swept their road trip of Louisiana Tech and the Aggies. With the win Fresno State improved to 20-8 on the season and has won four straight and five out of its past six. The Bulldogs also improved to 8-6 in WAC play.
The 20-win mark is the first since the 2002-03 season when Fresno State went 20-8. The Bulldogs return to the Save Mart Center for their final home game on Thursday, March 1 against Boise State at 7 p.m. Fresno State will then end the WAC season at Utah State on Saturday, March 3. The WAC Tournament begins on Thursday, March 8 in Las Cruces.
After leading the entire game, and by as many as 10 in the first half, the Bulldogs fell behind 52-51 with 3:21 left in the game. But Fresno State didn't fade away.
The Bulldogs answered New Mexico State's run on its home court with four consecutive Quinton Hosley free throws. After Hosley's final free throw, the Bulldogs led 55-52 with 1:29 left.
After the three-point lead, Dominic McGuire sank five clutch free throws down the stretch and a deep New Mexico State 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out and the Bulldogs pulled out the victory. New Mexico State fell to 21-7 on the season and 10-4 in WAC play.
Offensively four players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs, with Eddie Miller and Dominic McGuire leading the way with 15 points each. McGuire also added seven rebounds and two assists.
Miller, who played all 40 minutes, hit five clutch 3-pointers and added a career-high six rebounds. Quinton Hosley had 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals and Hector Hernandez added 11 points and four rebounds.
Kevin Bell once again set the tone for the Bulldogs. Bell played all 40 minutes and recorded 10 assists to only two turnovers.
In the first half, Hernandez led the way, scoring all of his 11 points in the opening half. Hernandez was playing in front of a large crowd of friends and family that made the five-hour drive from Chihuahua, Mexico to Las Cruces.
Miller made three 3-pointers and Hosley had six points in the opening 20 minutes. The first half ended on an Alex Blair dunk that just beat the buzzer. The officials reviewed the play for several minutes before counting the basket.
Hawai'i 67, San Jose State 55
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team out-scored San Jose State, 37-23, in the second half in its 67-55 victory, Saturday night, in a Western Athletic Conference match-up at The Event Center. The Rainbow Warriors (16-12, 6-8 WAC) have now won two straight road games and have ensured themselves a winning record for the eighth consecutive season.
The 'Bows trailed 32-30 at the half but came out on fire in the second half scoring the first five points. UH extended its lead and a 9-2 run pushed it into double digits with 8:39 left.
Senior forward Ahmet Gueye led UH on both the offensive and defensive ends with 14 points and 13 rebounds. His seven blocked shots was one shy of tying the school record. Matt Lojeski also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. The senior guard also added four assists and four steals.
Juniors Matt Gibson and Bobby Nash each scored 11 points for the 'Bows, who out-rebounded the Spartans, 45-30, despite tying their season-high of 23 turnovers.
UH held the Spartans to 23 percent shooting in the second half and 29.7 percent for the game.
The Spartans led through the first half of the opening period before UH scored nine straight to build a 25-16 lead. SJSU answered back and retook the lead with the help of a 13-2 run. Julian Richardson's desperation three-pointer as the shot clock ran out gave the Spartans a 32-30 halftime lead.
Julian Richardson scored a team-high 12 points for the Spartans. Carlton Spencer and Menelik Barbary each scored 10 points.