March 5, 2011

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RUSTON - Louisiana Tech donned WAC championship t-shirts, league commissioner Karl Benson presented the trophy and the Lady Techsters players cut down the nets as part of the postgame celebration following a 65-55 win over Idaho Saturday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center.

With the 10-point victory over the Vandals, LA Tech (23-6, 15-1 WAC) clinched the outright regular season title - its eighth in 10 years of affiliation with the Western Athletic Conference.

As the Lady Techster players and coaches sat on the bench while Benson addressed the team and fans following the contest, senior forward Adrienne Johnson wiped tears from her eyes as the gamut of emotions ran through her.

"It was emotional," said Johnson, who scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in her final game ever in Ruston. "This is something we wanted so badly. I can remember the first time I came to Tech; it's hard to believe four years has gone so fast."

According to Tech head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, her team earned the title while representing the University the entire season with grace and class.

"These kids deserved to celebrate this," Weatherspoon said. "They've earned this opportunity to celebrate on their home floor in front of our fans. We've had to overcome a lot of adversity this year; people don't know what these kids go through. It's a tribute to them."

The final nail in the championship coffin didn't go in easy as the Vandals (14-14, 7-9) provided a challenge for the entire 40 minutes of action.

With Tech leading 42-27 on a jumper by Johnson with 17:32 to play, Idaho tightened up defensively, outscoring Tech 17-6 over the next nine minutes to cut the deficit to 48-44 on an Alyssa Charleston layup with 8:16 to play.

"I give a lot of credit to Idaho," Weatherspoon said. "Those kids never give up. They always play us well, and they always play us for 40 minutes."

With Idaho trying to complete the comeback, Tech turned to its All-American and Johnson came through - scoring nine straight points over a five minute stretch. With Idaho trailing 59-55 with less than two minutes to play, Johnson recorded a conventional three-point play. Fifty seconds later, she sealed the win with an up and under move that gave the Lady Techsters a nine-point advantage.

Following the win, Weatherspoon made it clear that her team would be ready when it heads to the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas next week.

"We celebrated today, but as soon as we got into the locker-room our kids refocused," Weatherspoon said. "We are proud of what we've accomplished so far. We still have some unfinished business in front of us. These young ladies know that and will be ready."

It was Johnson's 14th double double of the season and her 17th 20-plus point scoring game as she is now only 41 points shy of moving past both Sheila Ethridge and Vickie Johnson and into 5th place on the Lady Techsters all-time scoring list.

In addition to Johnson's big night, Jasmine Bendolph added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists while Brietta Thomas scored nine points - all on three-pointers - and seven boards.

Charlston led Idaho with 10 points.

For the game, Tech shot 43 percent (23-53) from the field, 5-of-12 from the three-point line and 14-of-21 from the free throw line. Idaho shot 39 percent (19-49) from the field, 3-of-16 from the three-point line and 14-of-18 from the free throw line.

The Lady Techsters outrebounded the Vandals 37-30.

Tech will enter the WAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will get a bye until Friday's semifinals when they will play at 2 p.m. CT.