Feb. 4, 2008

Box Score

RUSTON - So far this year, Fresno State has Louisiana Tech's number.

For the second time in two games, the Bulldogs built a big halftime lead and then coasted to a victory, defeating the Lady Techsters 82-63 at the Thomas Assembly Center Monday night.

Fresno State (13-9, 8-1 WAC), which beat Tech 75-52 on Jan. 3 in Fresno, shot 68 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes to grab a 50-30 halftime lead and never looked back in beating the Lady Techsters (10-11, 4-4) for the first time ever in Ruston.

"We knew coming in that we had match-up problems defensively," said Tech head coach Chris Long. "They are so athletic and can shoot the three-pointer so well that they are tough for us to guard. We've struggled with teams like that all year. You have to give them a lot of credit; they knocked down shot after shot in that first half."

Tech grabbed a 2-0 lead on a Jo Sneed layup in the opening minute before Fresno State used a 7-0 run to grab a 7-2 lead. With the score 9-6, the Bulldogs used a 10-0 run to push the advantage to 19-6 with 13:05 to play, forcing Long to call his second timeout in the opening seven minutes.

Once again, the Techsters fought back to cut the deficit to 19-12 on a Tarkeisha Wysinger layup at the 10:27 mark of the first half. Fresno answered with their third run of the opening stanza, this one a 9-0 run to grab a commanding 28-12 lead.

The Bulldogs hit 19-of-28 field goals in the opening half, including 7-of-12 three-pointers, to enter the halftime locker room leading 50-30.

"We tried man, we tried to zone them and that bought us a few possessions, and we tried (a full-court) press," Long said. "We simply couldn't stop them in the first half. We did a better job in the second half but we had dug ourselves such a hole, we would have had to played a perfect half to have a chance."

Tech came out in the second half and twice cut the Fresno State advantage to 14, the first time at 52-38 with 14:46 to play. A Tiawana Pringle three-point field goal attempt less than 30 seconds later could have given the Techsters real life but it came off the back of the rim and Fresno State scored six straight points to push the advantage back out to 20.

With Fresno State leading 71-47 with 7:11 to play, Tech gave it one more valiant effort, using a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 71-57 on a Wysinger layup with 4:04 to play. However, a Hayley Munro three-pointer on the Bulldogs next possession ended the run and all but ended any Tech chance.

Tech held Fresno State to 13-of-36 shooting in the second half while hitting 13-of-28 but it wasn't enough.

Sneed continued her impressive onslaught of WAC opponents, scoring a career-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 shooting from the free throw line. She added 11 rebounds to register her WAC-best 15th double double of the season.

Adrienne Johnson chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds and Wysinger added nine points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Jaleesa Ross led Fresno with 21 points - 19 in the first half - while Munro added 17, Tierre Wilson 15 and Erica Henry 11.

Tech returns to action Thursday when it travel to Boise State for an 8 p.m. tipoff.