Boxscore

Louisiana Tech tries to make it three straight Thursday as the Bulldogs play host to Boise State at 6:30 p.m. in the Thomas Assembly Center.

The game will be televised live by ESPN Regional Television and shown on the Cox Sports Channel in Louisiana.

Louisiana Tech, 8-8 overall and 3-4 in the Western Athletic Conference, is coming off of four straight barnburners with the Bulldogs winning the last two on baskets in the final five seconds of each game.

Boise State has also won two straight and stands at 9-9 overall and 3-4 in the WAC.

?This is a big game because we?re in the middle of a three-game home stand and we?ve built a little momentum with two straight wins,? Tech coach Keith Richard said. ?We just have to keep working hard and keep trying to get better game by game. Boise State is always tough, so we know we?ll have to be at the top of our game.?

Tech?s two recent wins came as Wayne Powell put back a shot off an offensive rebound with 3.8 seconds left to take a 61-59 win at Hawaii while Corey Dean?s short jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining last Saturday gave the Bulldogs a 58-57 home win over Southern Methodist.

Sophomore forward Paul Millsap, the current WAC Player of the Week, leads the Bulldogs with 19.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per contest while Dean is adding 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for Tech.

Senior guard Donell Allick rounds out Tech?s double-digit scorers with 10.3 ppg while adding 3.8 rebounds per game.

Tech?s defense should again play a vital role as Tech?s last two wins have come after holding both teams under 60 points. Scoring defense has played a crucial role for Louisiana Tech throughout the season. The Bulldogs are 0-5 when opponents have scored 70 points or more and 8-3 when holding opponents under 70 points. Tech opponents are averaging 67.2 points per game so far this season while the Bulldogs are averaging 65.8 ppg.

Boise State enters the game averaging 70.3 ppg with senior guard/forward Jermaine Blackburn leading the way with 15.6 ppg while adding 5.0 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Coby Karl is adding 12.6 ppg for the Broncos while BSU?s top rebounder is senior forward Jason Ellis (6-7, 220), who is pulling down 7.4 boards per game while adding 10.6 ppg.

The last time the two teams met, last Feb. 28, Louisiana Tech's Corey Dean poured in a career-high 24 points but red-hot Boise State picked up the win as the Broncos downed Louisiana Tech 72-64 before 2,173 at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Louisiana Tech had its chances, pulling within two points of BSU at 61-59 on a pair of free throws by Barry Thompson with 3:16 remaining and again on a Dean jumper with 2:44 left. But Boise State made big shots when it needed them late in the game to pull away for the win.

Tech leads Boise State 4-2 in a series dating back to when the Bulldogs joined the WAC for the 2001-02 season. Boise State picked up its first win over the Bulldogs two seasons ago as the Broncos took a 74-51 win on March 1, 2003, in Boise, Idaho. Last season the Bulldogs took a road win over the Broncos on Jan. 29 and before losing the Feb. 28 home contest. Tech has outscored the Broncos 401-391 for an average series win of 66.8 - 65.2.

The game will also air on KNBB 99.3-FM radio in Ruston with the pregame show beginning at 6 p.m.