Boxscore

FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein thought she had the best point guard in the Western Athletic Conference.

Louisiana Tech head coach Kurt Budke knew he did.

On Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center, Lady Techster junior Tasha Crain proved Budke right, outdueling Fresno State's Mirenda Swearingen by scoring 28 points to lead Tech (8-4, 4-0 WAC) to an 80-70 win over Fresno State (10-3, 2-2) before 4,643 fans.

"Tasha Crain is one of the top three point guards in this country," Budke said following the game. "And to be honest, I can't think of two who are better then her. What sets her apart are games like this where not only does she score, but she rebounds, takes care of the ball and defends."

In addition to the Kingsland, Ark., native registering her second highest point total of her career, she added seven rebounds and six assists while committing only one turnover in 34 minutes of action. Crain also held Swearingen, who Johnson-Klein labeled "the best point guard in the WAC" to only three points, six rebounds and three assists.

Asked by Fresno reporters if she was motivated by Johnson-Klein's comments, Crain took the high road.

"I really don't think about that," Crain said. "(Coach Johnson-Klein) should think that about her player. It's not that big of a deal to me. I just wanted to win."

And Crain wasn't the only Techster who wanted to win. Senior guard Lakiste Barkus, who is a Long Beach, Calif., native, also played big for Budke and Co., scoring a career-high 27 points on 11 of 19 shooting while adding four steals.

"I thought this was by far Lakiste's best offensive game since the season opener against Ole Miss," Budke said. "She played within herself, something she has gotten better and better at doing recently. Lakiste can be an explosive player when she makes good decisions with the basketball and she definitely did that today."

Crain scored the first nine points of the game for Tech although Fresno State hung tough in the early going. After red-shirt freshman Nastassja Levingston came off the bench to spark Tech with two steals and five quick points midway through the opening 20 minutes, Barkus closed the half strong, scoring nine of her 12 first half points in the final five minutes as the Lady Techster built a 43-30 halftime edge.

Any chance of a Fresno State second half comeback was doused early as Tech opened the stanza with a 20-8 run to build a 63-48 lead. Barkus and Crain combined to score 31 of the Lady Techsters 37 second half points.

With Tech leading 68-43 at the midway mark of the second half, Fresno State closed the game on a 27-12 run.

For the contest, Tech hit 47 percent (31-66) of its field goals and registered a season-high 18 steals.

Amy Parrish and Chantella Perrera led Fresno State with 12 points each.