March 13, 2009

Box Score

RENO, Nev. -- A sharp-shooting first half combined with a clutch free-throw shooting second half propelled the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (15-17; 6-10 WAC) to a 70-62 victory over the Idaho Vandals (16-15; 9-7 WAC) Thursday night in quarterfinal round of the 2009 WAC Tournament and advanced Tech to a semifinal matchup with the Nevada Wolf Pack.

"Every game with Idaho (this season) was a battle," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "We had to do a good job of competing. I thought we did a great job defensively. We also did a good job competing on the boards; I was proud of that. I couldn't be prouder of our guys. We've been through some tough times, but we've been consistent in striving to do the right things to be a better basketball team."

Tech put on the proverbial three-point clinic in the first half of play after shooting 7-of-9 from behind the arc and took a 31-27 lead into the halftime locker room. Both junior Kyle Gibson and Brandon Gibson scored double-figures in the first half alone; Kyle shot 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-5 from three for 14 points, while Brandon totaled 10 points on solid first half shooting.

The Bulldogs would take as much as a 12 point lead in the second half at 50-38 with 12:14 left to play in the game. The Vandals, however, charged back over the next seven minutes and cut the lead to 57-52 at the 4:49 mark.

It would not be enough, as the Bulldogs held on for the 70-62 win.

Kyle Gibson led all scorers on the night with 23 total points, while freshman Olu Ashaolu added 14 along with Brandon Gibson's 10. The Bulldogs knocked down their free throws at the right time and finished the game 20-of-25.

The Bulldogs will play in the semifinals Friday night at 11 p.m. CST against the Nevada Wolf Pack. The game will be televised on ESPN2 with KXKZ 107.5 carrying the radio broadcast. An audio feed of the broadcast will be available at www.z1075fm.com.