Feb. 14, 2008

Box Score

RUSTON, La. - New Mexico State shot 58.7 percent from the field and forced 18 Louisiana Tech turnovers as they pulled away late in the second half for an 85-63 win at the Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs (4-19, 1-10 WAC), who had only seven healthy players available for tonight's contest, fought hard throughout the evening, pulling within single-digits several times during the second half. But the size and speed of the Aggies (15-12, 9-3 WAC) proved to be too much in the end.

"The kids did well tonight to battle back," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "The lack of points in the paint and turnovers hurt us. But we have to regroup and move on and get healthy. These young guys are getting invaluable minutes. Again, the effort was good, and we have to stay positive."

The teams traded baskets over the first 12 minutes of the game and stood knotted at 18 apiece with less than eight minutes to play. But a 20-6 New Mexico State run gave the Aggies a 14-point halftime lead at 38-24.

"It's a day-by-day thing where we have to get tighter fundamentally," Rupp said. "We have to keep getting tougher. They were zoning us and trying to get us to stand around. We have to overcome those things."

Tech would not go quietly as back-to-back treys from Dwayne Lathan and Kyle Gibson pulled the Bulldogs to within six points at 53-47 with just over 13 minutes to play. The Aggies jumped back out to a 14-point lead, which would then be cut back to 63-54 with just over 8 minutes to play. Once again, the Aggies' size and speed would be too much as they closed strong en route to their 22-point victory.

Kyle Gibson shared game honors with NMSU's Hatila Passos as both had 20 points to lead their respective teams. JC Clark added 19 for the Bulldogs while Orren Tims had his fourth straight double-digit scoring effort with 10 points.

Three other players finished in double-digits for the Aggies. Justin Hawkins had 11 while Jonathan Gibson and Herb Pope added 10 apiece.

NMSU won the rebounding battle 40-29 and only committed 13 turnovers in the contest. The Aggies, with their two 6-11 post players, also outscored Tech in the paint by a staggering 52-8 margin.

"Good teams can exploit your weaknesses," Rupp said. "New Mexico State has length and size that can wear you down. But again, our kids battled hard, and we have to stay positive."

It will be a quick turnaround for the Bulldogs as they now travel to San Jose State for a Saturday matinee. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. Central time at The Event Center. The broadcast can be heard on the Louisiana Tech Sports Network's flagship station, 107.5 KXKZ-FM, or by logging on to www.z1075fm.com.