Boxscore

BOISE, Idaho - Senior forward Amisha Carter scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead sixth-ranked Louisiana Tech (22-2, 15-1 WAC) to an 80-48 win over Boise State before 1,103 fans at The Pavilion Saturday afternoon.

Carter scored 16 of her 20 points in the first half to help the Lady Techsters build a 43-23 halftime lead over the overmatched Broncos (8-18, 5-12 WAC) and was a big reason why Tech outscored Boise State 52-18 on points in the paint.

"Amisha was big for us once again," said Tech head coach Kurt Budke. "Boise State wanted to take the paint away from us but she was very active down low and got a lot of her points on offensive rebounds. When she is that active, she is next to impossible to stop."

Carter, who eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the eighth time in nine games, hit 9 of 11 field goals and 2-of-3 free throws in 32 minutes of action.

Seniors Trina Frierson and Amber Obaze each scored 12 points for Tech as the Lady Techsters hit 52 percent of their field goals for the game, including 15 of their last 18 during the second half.

Tech started the game slow offensively as the two teams were tied at 8-8 with 12:56 remaining. However, the Lady Techsters used a good defensive effort to keep the Boise State perimeter shooters off balance and eventually began to pull away in the final six minutes of the first half.

"I thought we did a good job of guarding them outside and not letting them get wide open looks," said Budke, who saw his squad hold the Broncos to only 29 percent shooting in the game. "They have some really good shooters but they were never able to get great looks; we constantly had a hand in their face and that forced them into some tough shots."

Boise State started the second half strong, outscoring Tech 11-4 to start the period to cut the deficit to 47-34 with just under 12 minutes to play. After Budke called a timeout instructing his squad to push the tempo and not settle for a halfcourt game, the Lady Techsters responded with 25-2 run over the next eight minutes to put the game away.

"Early in the second half we became content to play a halfcourt game, and that is not what we do best," Budke said. "Boise State wanted to slow the tempo and we fell into that trap. I thought Shan Moore really ignited us when I put her in the game in the second half."

Moore, the freshman from Minden, recorded a career-high seven assists while adding six points, three rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 21 minutes of action. Four of Moore's seven assists came during the decisive Tech run.

Jamie Hawkins led Boise State with 10 points.

Tech improved its all-time mark against Boise State to 8-0. The Lady Techsters are now set for a March 4 showdown against Rice for the Western Athletic Conference regular season title on the line.