Jan. 18, 2008
RUSTON - Louisiana Tech will face the hottest team in the Western Athletic Conference Saturday night when the Lady Techsters host New Mexico State at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.
The Aggies, who upset Tech 63-57 in the first round of the 2007 WAC Tournament last year, are 13-3 on the season, including a perfect 3-0 mark in league games.
"New Mexico State is a talented and veteran team," said Tech head coach Chris Long. "Five of their top eight players are seniors. All five seniors either start or have started a lot of games during their careers. Obviously they are playing very well. They have a nice combination of physical post play with talented perimeter players. We will need to play very well Saturday night."
New Mexico State has won five straight games since a 62-56 loss at New Mexico Dec. 21 and have already knocked off Boise State, a team that defeated Tech 85-67 one week ago.
Head coach Darin Spence's team has already matched its win total from a year ago thanks in large part to the play of senior forward Sherell Neal, who is averaging 13.8 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. Neal ranks in the Top 10 in the WAC in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocked shots, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
The Aggies aren't a one-person show though as Anikia Jawara (12.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Madison Spence (10.9 ppg, 3.8 apg) are also averaging double figures.
Louisiana Tech (7-9, 1-2 WAC) continues to search for a more consistent offensive threats as senior Jo Sneed (13.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg) and sophomore Shanavia Dowdell (11.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg) are the only double figure scorers.
"We have had a good week of preparation," Long said. "Our team is young and inexperienced and we've struggled but I like their attitudes. Unfortunately, four of our first five conferences games are against the top four teams in the league. That's a tough way to start.
"We are continuing to work on little things that help you win ballgames. I'm seeing progress from a toughness and execution standpoint but we still have a ways to go."
Tech leads the all-time series against New Mexico State 6-1.
What: New Mexico State (13-3, 3-0 WAC) at Louisiana Tech (7-9, 1-2 WAC) Where: Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La. When: 7 p.m. Saturday Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM Internet Audio: www.espn977.com Internet Video: www.latechtv.com