Feb. 5, 2009
RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech will play two key Western Athletic Conference games this weekend starting Friday night when the Lady Techsters host Idaho at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Tech (11-10, 4-3 WAC) is one of a handful of teams sitting in a log jam in the upper echelon of the WAC standings and could separate itself a little from some of the teams with a pair of wins.
The Lady Techsters face Idaho (8-10, 5-2), the most improved team in the Western Athletic Conference as the Vandals currently sit in third place in the league standings after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason polls.
Tech defeated Idaho 67-63 in overtime in Moscow on Jan. 23, handing the Vandals one of their two league losses so far. However, it wasn't an easy victory as Tech built an 18-point second half lead before Idaho rallied late to send the game into overtime.
"Idaho is a tough team," said Tech head coach Chris Long. "They play very hard for 40 minutes. Defensively, they do a good job of forcing opponents to knock down perimeter shots.
"We built a lead in Idaho only to see them rally and take us into overtime. It's no mistake that they are 5-2 in league play. They are well balanced with two of the better newcomers in the league in Derisa Taleni and Shaena Kuehu. This game will be a battle and we will need to play well to win."
Like Louisiana Tech, Idaho boasts three players averaging in double figures led by sophomore forward Yinka Olorunnife who is one of the most athletic players in the league and the only one to average a double double with 13.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest.
In addition to Olorunnife, Taleni is averaging 13.2 points per contest while Kuehu is scoring 10.0 points a contest.
The Lady Techsters will take to the court for the first time in a week, coming off one of their most impressive performances of the season last Friday in a 77-51 win over New Mexico State.
Tech boasts three of the top five scorers in the WAC in forward Shanavia Dowdell (No. 1 at 15.2 ppg), forward Adrienne Johnson (No. 4 at 14.0 ppg) and guard Whitney Jones (No. 5 at 13.9 ppg).
Tech leads the all-time series against Idaho 8-0, including a 3-0 mark in Ruston.
The contest can be heard on KXKZ 107.5 FM with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. It can also be seen via the Internet for $4.99 at www.latechtv.com by clicking on the athletics link in the top right side of the page starting one hour prior to tipoff.
