Jan. 24, 2008
Box Score
RUSTON, La. - Conference-leading Utah State shot 64.3 percent from the field and held off two Tech rallies to come away with a 71-61 win at the Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday night.
"We came out slow, and we weren't competing and weren't recognizing the things we were working on all week," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "That first time out was all about trying to get their attention and get them to compete, disrupt and see if we can take it to them. We have to try to take things to other people and not wait on our heels."
The Aggies (15-5, 5-0 WAC) remained perfect in conference play and picked up their first WAC road victory after playing their last eight home games in the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan. Utah State also held a whopping 39-14 advantage on the boards as the Bulldogs (3-14, 0-5 WAC) did not pull down a rebound in the first 11-plus minutes of the contest.
Utah State came storming out of the gates, charging to a 26-6 lead with 9:23 to play in the first half. A block by Adrian Rogers on a layup attempt from the Aggies' leading scorer, Jaycee Carroll, led to Tech's first board of the night and set the Bulldogs off on a run of their own.
Over the next five minutes, Louisiana Tech went on a 22-3, pulling within one point at 29-28 on a highlight-reel layup by Dwayne Lathan with 3:16 to play in the half. Tech would go cold the rest of the period, though, as the Aggies took a 36-28 lead to the locker room.
The Aggies picked up where they left off in the second half, going on a 28-9 run at one point to regain the 20-point lead they had early in the first half. Tech, however, refused to go away quietly as the Bulldogs chipped away at the lead, and a James Loe 3-pointer at the final horn cut the final margin to 10 points.
"Utah State is too good offensively," Rupp said. "If you let them get their offense going, they can hurt you. They do a great job shooting and reading off each other. We had a hard time getting stops in our half court defense. I thought our best chance was to take it to them, but at the end of the day it was our inability to make stops and score consistently. Even so, I liked the energy and enthusiasm we put out."
The Bulldogs' Kyle Gibson led all scorers with 17 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Lathan added 14 on 6-of-12 shooting.
Jaycee Carroll, the WAC's leading scorer, was quiet in the first half but finished with 16 points to lead Utah State. Gary Wilkinson, the Aggies' 6-9 post player, added 15 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Newbold and Stephen DuCharme tacked on 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Tech stays at home for its return to action Saturday as Nevada comes to town. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center, and the broadcast can be heard on ESPN 97.7 FM or by logging on to www.espn977.com. Live video streaming is available from www.latechtv.com, and live stats can be viewed through GameTracker at www.latechsports.com.
