Boxscore

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech played the final five minutes Saturday night with the urgency of a basketball team that had plenty on the line.

And it did.

After watching a 13-point second half lead evaporate and Fresno State take a two-point lead, Tech (14-4, 6-1 WAC) turned up their level of play to down Fresno State (14-5, 6-1 WAC) 70-61 before 4,102 fans at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Fresno State guard Chantella Perera's jumper with 5:17 to play completed an impressive Bulldog come back -- Tech led 54-41 with 11:06 to play -- and gave FSU a 58-56 advantage.

"We forced some bad shots when they made their run," said Tech head coach Chris Long. "We went through about a five minute stretch where we (just didn't play very well). I do give Fresno a lot of credit; I honestly believe they are a top 30 team."

Trailing by two, Long relayed a message to his team during a timeout.

"His message to us was this is our house and our gym, and we needed to let (Fresno State) know that," said senior guard Tasha Williams. "(Coach Long) was fighting for us, and we wanted to do the same for him."

Junior guard Shan Moore's two free throws with 5:03 to play ignited a decisive 14-3 Techster run as Louisiana Tech won its 107th straight regular season conference game at home.

During the game-deciding run, Tech held Fresno State without a field goal as the Bulldogs missed their final nine attempts from the field.

"I think anytime you make a run from being down, the tendency is to have a letdown once you catch up," said Fresno State head coach Adrian Wiggins. "To Tech's credit, they just played better down the stretch. They made free throws, and they deserved to win."

Free throw shooting proved to be a key for the Lady Techsters, who hit 18-of-22 for the game, including 8-of-10 during the 14-3 run.

Tech shot 43 percent in the first half to grab a 33-29 halftime lead as Tamika Kursh sparked the Lady Techsters with 10 of her 12 points.

Fresno State's only lead of the first half came at 3-2 on a three-pointer by Amy Parish in the first minutes of the game.

Leading by four, Tech quickly pushed the advantage out to double digits in the second half on a three-pointer by freshman guard Eboni Mangum with 14:25 to play. Just over three minutes later, Aarica Ray-Boyd gave Tech its biggest lead at 54-41 on a three-pointer, setting the stage for Fresno State's comeback.

Techster guard Shan Moore, who entered the game as the WAC?s leading free throw shooter, hit 9-of-10 free throws while scoring a game-high 17 points and adding seven assists. Moore, who saw her streak of 27 straight free throws made come to an end with 1:35 to play, was one of four Techsters in double figures.

Williams added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists while Ty Moore scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Kursh added 12 points.

Parrish led the Bulldogs with 18 points and eight rebounds while Mirenda Swearingen added 13 points and nine rebounds.