Idaho 59, Fresno State 47
MOSCOW, Idaho ? Yinka Olorunnife grabbed a career-high and arena-record 20 rebounds and the largest home crowd of the season saw Idaho lead from start to finish to complete a season sweep of first-place Fresno State with a 59-47 win Friday.
Idaho moved to 10-11 overall and 7-3 in WAC play, while Fresno State (17-7, 8-3) maintained a half-game lead over the Vandals for first place in the league.
The Vandals finished the game shooting 44 percent (24-of-55) from the field and limited Fresno State to 30 percent (16-of-54) from the floor. The Bulldogs out-rebounded Idaho 40-36. Idaho held a 28-20 advantage in paint points and a 10-8 advantage in fast-break points, while the Bulldogs led 14-12 in points of turnovers.
Derisa Taleni led all players with 19 points, while Shaena Kuehu earned her 11th-consecutive double-digit scoring game with 14 points and a career-high four steals. Olorunnife added 10 points for her seventh double-double of the season.
Fresno State was led by Marnique Arnold with 12 points and Hayley Munro with 10.
Idaho’s win, combined with a Nevada loss and a Boise State win, creates a logjam at the top of the WAC standings. Fresno State holds a half-game lead over Idaho, Nevada and Boise State, which all sit in second place with 7-3 conference records. The Bulldogs have played one more game than the others and sit at 8-3 in WAC play.
New Mexico State 54, Nevada 51
LAS CRUCES, N.M. ? New Mexico State held Nevada to just six points in the last 12:15 of the game to win 54-51 Friday night at the Pan American Center. The win snaps a five-game losing steak for the Aggies, as they improve to 7-17 on the year and 3-7 in WAC play. Nevada dropped its third straight, falls to 13-10 overall on the year and 7-3 in the league.
New Mexico State shot 22 percent in the first half, but shot 45 percent in the last 20 minutes. It was the reverse for Nevada, which shot 39 percent in the first half, but only 27 percent in the second half. The Wolf Pack out-rebounded the Aggies, 41-37. NMSU forced Nevada into 13 second-half turnovers.
Niki Holt finished with a double-double of 10 blocked shots and 13 rebounds, giving herself and the team its first double-double of the year. Her 10 blocked shots tie her with Ann McReynolds' Jan. 16, 1976, game against Colorado State for the second-most in school history. Madison Spence had a game-high 20 points.
Johnna Ward paced Nevada with 14 points, while Kayle Williams added 10 and Brandi Jones pulled down nine boards. Dellena Criner scored just four points. The WAC Preseason Player of the Year came into the night leading the league in scoring and steals, but did not have a steal Friday.
Louisiana Tech 68, Hawai?i 56
Box Score
RUSTON, La. ? In her first game as interim head coach, Teresa Weatherspoon led Louisiana Tech to a 68-56 win over Hawaii at the Thomas Assembly Center.
The Lady Techsters hit 37 percent (27-of 73) of their field goals and only 20 percent (3-of-15) of their three-pointers in the game, while Hawai?i connected on 36 percent from the field (18-of-50) and 29 percent from downtown (5-of-17). The Rainbow Wahine out-rebounded Tech 50-35, But Louisiana Tech recorded 15 steals and forced 30 Rainbow Wahine turnovers.
Shanavia Dowdell led all players with 19 points and 11 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the year. Adrienne Johnson added 18 points in the victory.
Keisha Kanekoa led Hawai?i with 16 points, while Megan Tinnin posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Tara Hittle pulled down 11 boards in the loss.
Boise State 58, San Jose State 53
Box Score
BOISE, Idaho ? Boise State claimed a hard fought 58-53 win over San Jose State in Taco Bell Arena Friday night. The victory extended Boise State’s home win streak vs. WAC opponents to 15 games.
Boise State improves to 14-10 overall and 7-3 in WAC play, while SJSU falls to 2-22 overall and 1-10 in the WAC.
Boise State shot 33 percent (20-of-61) from the field, while converting 22 percent (4-of-18) from beyond the arc and just 56 percent (14-of-25) from the charity stripe. San Jose State shot 36 percent (20-of-55) from the field, 32 percent (7-of-22) from long range and just 46 percent (6-of-13) from the free throw line. The Broncos dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Spartans 48-38 and 19-11 in offensive boards.
The Broncos were led by Marisa Stotler with 14 points, her sixth-consecutive game in double-figures. Brittany Moore and Jamia Malone added 13 and 10 points, respectively, while Melissa Rima added a team-best 10 rebounds.
San Jose State was led by Natalie White with a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards. Kelly Blair matched White’s points with 13 of her own.