Feb. 19, 2008

HOUSTON - After a less than stellar opening round at the Rice Intercollegiate at Westwood Golf Club, Louisiana Tech came storming back behind the play of sophomore Matthew Harvey and junior Amrith de Soysa.

Harvey fired a second round 69 while de Soysa recorded a 71 to help head coach Jean Hall's Bulldogs register a team total 290, a full 20 stroke improvement over the team's opening round.

Due to darkness, Monday's second round wasn't completed until early Tuesday morning.

With the improved second round, Tech currently sits in seventh p place at the 12-team tournament with a two-round total of 600 heading into Tuesday's final round. The Bulldogs - who were in 10th place after the opening round - trail Pacific (597) and College of Charleston (597) by three strokes and the host school Rice (594) by six strokes.

Baylor leads the tournament with a two round total of 581 followed by Memphis (584) and UC Davis (591).

De Soysa fired an opening round 74 and his two-round total of 145 puts him in third place, only one stroke off the individual lead of 144 recorded by Baylor's Colton Williams and Memphis' Brad Benjamin.

Harvey shaved nine strokes off his first round total of 78 to register a total of 147, currently tied for 11th place.

Corey Bartlett shot 77-77 for a two-round total of 154, which places him in a tie for 38th place while Ryan Robertson sits in 45th place with a total of 156 and Clinton Sheppard is in 53rd place with a 158.

1. Baylor 292-299=581 2. Memphis 286-298-584 3. UC Davis 299-292-591 4. Rice 299-295=594 5. Pacific 296-301-597 5. Charleston 302-295=597 7. La Tech 310-290-600 8. Winthrop 308-295=603 8. S. Utah 303-300=603 10. Wm & Mary 303-301=604 11. Nebraska 318-311=629 12. Texas Southern 315-317=632