Boxscore FRESNO, Calif. -- Not even overtime could slow down the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
Out to their best conference start since joining the Western Athletic Conference, Tech (14-7; 7-1 WAC) is still solely in first place after downing the Fresno State Bulldogs (10-8; 3-4 WAC) Saturday night in overtime in the Save Mart after Fresno?s star forward Ja?Vance Coleman missed a shot with time running out to give the Tech Bulldogs their seventh win in their last eight games.
Both defenses played exceptionally well as both teams were tied at 62 at the end of the second half after Coleman knocked down a three falling backward with 2.9 seconds left to go.
?I had a feeling they would make a three-pointer before (the end of regulation),? Richard said. ?Coleman had made those shots plenty of times before, and if I had told them to foul him (to prevent tying the game), we probably would have won in regulation. My gut feeling said to foul, but I chose not to, and if we had lost this game because of that, I would have taken sole blame for that loss. I even apologized to the players for not pulling the trigger on the foul. They looked at me and said ?We?ve got your back,? and they went out there and won the game.?
Senior guard
Corey Dean knocked down the first shot in overtime, and the Tech Bulldogs maintained the lead for the remainder of the ballgame. Dean would finish with 12 points and six rebounds.
?(Dean) really showed his experience tonight,? Richard said. ?He made a big bucket to start overtime for us. He also guarded Coleman extremely well on the last play of the game and defended him well for the game as a whole. He really made big plays in this game.?
Tech star junior forward and back-to-back NCAA rebounding champion
Paul Millsap finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds in the contest, which put him in the elite 1000 point, 1000 rebounds club as only the sixth player to do so in Louisiana tech history. Millsap shot 11-of-22 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.
?Their defense really made Millsap earn every point,? Richard said. ?Our offensive philosophy was to throw the ball down in the paint, whether it was Millsap or not. Getting the ball down to our forwards was a big part of our game plan.?
Senior guard
Daevon Haskins also had a good game by finishing with six points and eight assists with his two biggest points coming from a 15-foot jumper in overtime that would practically seal the deal.
?Haskins made some good shots,? Richard said. ?That?s something we?ve been waiting for him to do all year.?
The Tech Bulldogs shot 41 percent from the floor and grabbed 44 rebounds compared to Fresno State?s 37 percent and 35 boards.
?We were able to out rebound them by nine and we held them to a low shooting percentage,? Richard said. ?That?s incredible considering Fresno State was playing at home, because they don?t lose in here often. I was very proud of the players for listening to the scouting report and applying it for the win.?
Coleman finished with 29 points while forward Hector Hernandez finished with 16 points, all in the second half.
The Bulldogs return home Thursday, Feb. 2, to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Thomas Assembly Center at 7 p.m. in what Richard called ?a great test for this team.?
?We have eight conference games left,? Richard concluded. ?We have five at home and three on the road. We?re 7-1 in conference. You can?t ask for a better scenario this year.?
