Feb. 7, 2008

Box Score

RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech got a career-high in points and rebounds from a freshman making his first career start, but it was not enough to counteract Boise State's 54-percent shooting in a 73-61 loss on Thursday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.

"That was a very good team," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "I was pleased we held them to only 73 points tonight; that was a plus for us. They are a good transition team, and we did a good job of stopping them for the most part."

Orren Tims, making the first start of his young career, had 16 points and nine rebounds, leading the Bulldogs in both categories. Both numbers and his 29 minutes of playing time were all career highs.

Once again, a hot-shooting opponent was able to put away a scrappy Bulldog bunch by knocking down a majority of their shots (54.5 percent). Boise State (17-5, 8-2 WAC) shot a blistering 57.7 percent in the first half and only cooled off slightly after halftime.

Louisiana Tech (3-18, 0-9 WAC) came out of the gate hot, leading for much of the first half. The Bulldog lead swelled to as much as eight points with 6:16 to play on a James Loe trey. Boise State would find their stroke after that, ending the half on a 13-2 run to take a 35-32 lead to the locker room.

The Broncos and Bulldogs traded baskets for the first five minutes of the second frame, but the speed and depth of Boise State wore down the Bulldogs throughout the period. Boise's lead grew to as many as 12 with 11:37 to play, but a 13-4 Bulldog run would cut that to 57-54 at the eight-minute mark.

Boise, however, would not succumb to the Tech run as they made clutch shots down the stretch for the 12-point win.

Tims' 16 led the Bulldogs, who shot 37.9 percent from the field. James Loe and Kyle Gibson added 11 apiece.

"At the end of the day, that was a good team we played tonight," Rupp said. "The effort was outstanding with the way we're battling. I think we're moving in the right direction."

Boise State was led by Reggie Larry with 25 points while Tyler Tiedeman and Matt Nelson had 15 and 12, respectively.

The Bulldogs continue their homestand Saturday night as the Idaho Vandals come to town for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Thomas Assembly Center. The game can be heard on ESPN 97.7 FM or by logging onto www.espn977.com. Live video streaming is also available at www.latechtv.com.