Boxscore

RENO, Nevada - Louisiana Tech hit a season-high 11 three-pointers to down Boise State 81-68 in quarterfinal action of the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Tournament at the Lawlor Events Center Wednesday afternoon.

Erica Taylor scored a season-high 21 points and Lakiste Barkus added 20 points and six assists to lead Tech to its 27th straight conference tournament victory.

The last Lady Techster conference tournament loss came in the championship game of the 1995 Sun Belt Conference Tournament to Western Kentucky.

Tech connected on seven of its first nine three-point attempts and built a 44-18 lead with four minutes remaining in the first half.

"The start to the game was key for us to get that margin up," said Tech head coach Kurt Budke. "The longer you let Boise State play with you the more dangerous they become."

Barkus and junior guard Aarica Ray-Boyd combined to hit seven three pointers in the first half. Barkus entered the halftime locker room with 16 points, hitting on 6-of-6 field goals, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.

"I think as a team we played good defense and that got the offense going," Barkus said. "Once the team hit a few shots, it encouraged me to shoot the ball and that's what got me going."

Tech held the Broncos to 32 percent shooting in the first half and forced 11 first half turnovers.

Boise State closed the first half on a 12-3 run and the Techsters entered the locker room with a 47-30 advantage.

The second half proved to be much more competitive as Boise State reserve guard Nadia Begay led the Broncos. After Tech pushed the advantage to 58-37 at the 12:53 mark of the second half, Begay entered the game and scored 18 of the Broncos final 31 points.

"I just wanted to play for the team and the seniors," Begay said. "I wanted to come in and hit some shots and help the team."

Begay's three-pointer with 5:08 remaining pulled Boise State within 11 at 72-61 before Taylor and Barkus both nailed threes down the stretch to preserve the victory for the Techsters.

Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year Tasha Crain played only sparingly in the first half after picking up two quick fouls but came back in the final 20 minutes to score 10 of her 12.

After ending the regular season with two straight losses, Louisiana Tech knew it needed to win as the NCAA Tournament approaches.

"It's March and we want to go to the Dance," Taylor said. "Getting a win was the most important thing. Boise beat us before at their place. We knew they were a good team and would come out ready to play."

Louisiana Tech advances to Friday's semifinal round where the Lady Techsters will face the winner of No. 4 seed Fresno State and No. 5 seed SMU.