Idaho 63, Fresno State 59
Box Score
MOSCOW, Idaho –(UI Media Relations) It wasn’t pretty, but it was still a victory. After losing four single-possession games in December, Idaho men’s basketball hung on in yet another nailbiter for a 63-59 home win over Fresno State on Saturday.
In a game that never saw a double-figure lead, Idaho trailed for just one minute early in the game, but never led by more than seven points. The win almost slipped away by virtue of a six-minute, eight-second field goal drought late in the game, but the Vandals knocked down a season-high 22 free throws on season-best 88 percent shooting to make up for their shortcomings from the field.
“It wasn’t perfect at the end, by any means,” Vandal head coach Don Verlin said. “When you’ve lost a ton of close games, sometimes it’s really difficult and it was difficult tonight.”
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Nevada 78, Utah State 71
Box Score
LOGAN, Utah (AP) - Deonte Burton scored 25 points and Dario Hunt got his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds as Nevada topped Utah State 78-71 Saturday night.
Olek Czyk added 14 points for the Wolf Pack (12-3, 2-0).
Utah State(9-7, 1-1) were led by Brockeith Pane with 21 points and six assists, while Preston Medlin added 20.
The Aggies never led in the contest and with the score 54-53, botched two chances to take the lead. The Aggies tied the game with 9:29 to play on a 3-point shot by Pane at 56-all. The Wolf Pack then went on an 11-3 run, with Czyk scoring six consecutive points, to lead 67-59 with 4:30 to play.
Medlin and Grim each scored in the final two minutes to bring the score to 70-68 before Burton hit a 3-point shot with 37 seconds remaining to seal the win.
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New Mexico State 83, Louisiana Tech 73
RUSTON, La. (NMSU Media Relations)-The New Mexico State men's basketball team opened the 2011-12 WAC season with an 83-73 win at Louisiana Tech in the conference opener for both teams.
The Aggies (11-5, 1-0) are now 7-0 all-time in WAC openers since joining the league in 2005-06. Redshirt senior forward Wendell McKines recorded his ninth double-double of the year and 36th of his career with a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.
NM State had four players in double-figures with 14 points from senior guard Hernst Laroche and junior forward Tyrone Watson, which was a season-high mark. Senior center Hamidu Rahman also supplied 11 points.
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Hawai‘i 82, San Jose State 69
HONOLULU - (AP)- Joston Thomas scored 27 points and Vander Joaquim added 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead Hawaii to an 82-69 win over San Jose State on Saturday night.
The Rainbow Warriors (9-6, 1-0 Western Athletic) led the Spartans (6-9, 0-1) from start to finish.
Wil Carter notched career-highs of 21 points and 20 rebounds for San Jose State.
Hawaii led 51-31 early in the second half following a Hauns Brereton 3-pointer. An 18-4 Spartans run, ignited by a Carter jumper and capped by a Calvin Douglas 3-pointer, cut the lead to 55-49 with 11:40 remaining. But San Jose State got no closer.
The Warriors shot 47 percent for the game to the Spartans' 35 percent.