Boxscore

RENO, Nev. -- Playing their second game in two nights, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (20-12; 11-5 WAC) were ousted from the 2005-06 Western Athletic Conference Tournament by the Utah State Aggies (23-7; 11-5 WAC) 68-64 in the Lawlor Events Center

?We knew coming in that it was going to be our defense versus their offense,? Tech head coach Keith Richard said. ?Somebody was going to win that battle. This game was very typical of so many of our games. We played our hearts out on the defensive end, and for guarding these guys, we did a pretty good job.?

The Bulldogs kept the scoring low in the first half, but as time expired Utah State senior forward sent a prayer from 65 feet away that hit off the glass with :00.2 seconds that put the Aggies up 29-25.

Tech?s offense increased in the second half, but the Aggies literally scored point-for-point with the Bulldogs as both teams scored 39 points in the second half to give the Utah State the win 68-64.

?Utah State is very tough to defend,? Richard said. ?We needed just a little bit more offense to keep that game close. We tried to be aggressive. We did a lot of on-ball switching and fronting in the post.?

Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap finished 8-of-10 from the floor for a total of 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and tacked on five steals and blocks. The Chairman of the Boards if still in first place in the NCAA, although his total dropped by .2 (13.4).

Junior guard Trey McDowell added another double-figure scoring night with 14 points thanks in part to shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Jerome Richardson also added 10 points and grabbed six rebounds.

The Bulldogs can expect an invite from the National Invitational Tournament at the worst, as with 20 wins they are all be guaranteed to see postseason play.