BOISE, Idaho ? Louisiana Tech stopped Boise State's nine-game winning streak 79-63 in front of a season-high 4,518 fans at Taco Bell Arena. Tech (12-10, 7-2 WAC) overcame a 41-39 halftime deficit to win, thanks in large part to a tenacious defensive effort that held Boise State to only 7-of-35 shooting in a second half that saw the Techsters outscore their foe 40-22.
“The job we did as a team defensively tonight was incredible,” said Tech head coach Chris Long. “Those final 20 minutes we made everything tough of them. Boise State is a great offensive team so for us to hold them like we did took incredible effort on our part. I’m so proud of this team.”
After Boise State (17-5, 8-1 WAC) extended its halftime lead to 46-41 on a free throw by Jackie Lee at the 17:40 mark, Tech used a 15-4 run over the next eight minutes to take a 63-54 lead on a three-pointer by senior guard Shan Moore at the 9:17 mark.
The Broncos would get no closer than seven points the rest of the game.Moore led Tech with a career-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting while backcourt teammate Eboni Mangum tied her career-high with 17 points, including a trio of three-pointers.
“We’ve been asking Shan to step up and take the big shots all year long,” Long said. “Tonight she did it from the opening tip. We’ve told her that there is no one in this league who can hold her down when she’s playing at her best and tonight was proof of that point. Shan and Eboni were both huge for us from the perimeter.”
When Moore and Mangum weren’t scoring from the outside, senior forward Ty Moore and junior forward Jo Sneed were taking advantage of Boise State inside. Moore scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Sneed added 12 points and eight boards.
Tech, which has won four straight games, shot 50 percent (28-56) for the game, including 5-of-8 from the three-point line.
Boise State hit only 34 percent (22-64), including a mere 1-of-16 from beyond the arc.
“They missed some shots they would probably normally hit, but I think we had a lot to do with that,” Long said. “We made them work for everything they got.”
Jessica Thompson led Boise State with 17 points while Michelle Hessing and Tasha Harris each added 11 and Jenna Galassi 10. Tech outrebounded the Broncos 44-34. With the win, Tech pulls within one game of Boise State in the Western Athletic Conference race.