Feb. 6, 2010

Box Score

LOGAN - For the second straight game, Louisiana Tech played a complete basketball game and came away with an impressive 74-54 win over Utah State Saturday afternoon at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Western Athletic Conference action.

Tech (15-6, 6-3 WAC) avenged a 69-66 loss against Utah State on Jan. 6 as the Lady Techsters dominated from the opening tip, winning for the fifth time in five trips to Logan.

"Our kids came out and played with great effort," said Tech head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. "We attacked offensively; we attacked defensively. We were determined to perform better this time than the last time we played them. It showed."

Tech scored the first seven points of the game as a Whitney Jones trifecta at the 16:07 mark gave the Lady Techsters a 7-0 lead before Utah State scored seven straight to tie the game with 14:23 to play on a driving layup by LaCale Pringle-Buchanan.

Just over one minute later Amber White gave the Aggies their only lead of the game at 11-9 on a layup as LA Tech then used a 15-0 run over the next six minutes to grab a commanding 24-11 advantage. White broke the drought for the Aggies (11-11, 3-6) at the 5:23 mark of the half on a jumper.

However, Tech extended the lead out to as many as 18 in the opening stanza before entering the halftime locker room leading 38-22.

Despite shooting only 34 percent (12-35) in the first half, the Lady Techsters led thanks to a dominating performance on the boards (31-15) and a dominating defensive effort that saw LA Tech hold Utah State to only 8-of-28 shooting.

Adrienne Johnson led Tech with 12 points in the first half while Shanavia Dowdell and Jones each added eight points.

Utah State tried to rally early in the second half as Lydia Whitehead scored two straight baskets to cut the Tech advantage to 38-26 but a Tiawana Pringle three-pointer pushed it back out to 15. Tech led 48-32 before using a 6-0 run to build its biggest lead of the game to that point at 54-32 with 11:19 to play.

The Aggies would get no closer than 18 points the rest of the way.

Johnson led Tech with 16 points and nine rebounds while Jones added 14 points and Dowdell and Brietta Thomas each scored 12 points. Dowdell added 13 rebounds to post her 14th double double of the season - the eighth in nine WAC games.

Tarkeisha Wysinger added four points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals while Martina Holloway recorded a team-high five assists.

"We have to get that kind of production across the board to be successful," Weatherspoon said. "This was a team effort. These young ladies remembered how they played a month ago."

Pringle-Buchanan led Utah State with 17 points while white added 12 points.

Tech outrebounded Utah State 56-36 and held the Aggies to only 29 percent (19-of-65) shooting.

The Lady Techster will return to action Saturday when they host San Jose State at 6 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.