Jan. 13, 2012
Final Stats | Coach White Postgame Interview
Ruston, La. - Junior guard Brandon Gibson's first double-double of the season, career-high 22 points and 13 rebounds, was not enough as Louisiana Tech fell 90-88 in overtime to Idaho in front of 4,472 fans Thursday night in the Thomas Assembly Center.
The defeat drops the Bulldogs record to 8-9 overall and 0-2 in the Western Athletic Conference while the Vandals improve to 9-8 and 2-1 in the conference.
Falling behind 6-2 a little over two minutes into the game, Tech went on an 11-2 run over the next two and a half minutes with five and four points from Gibson and freshman guard Raheem Appleby, respectively.
Junior forward J.L. Lewis hit a three-pointer with 2:11 left in the first half to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the period 39-28.
Two free throws from Idaho's Landon Tatum with just over two seconds left on the clock cut Tech's advantage to 43-34 heading into intermission.
The Bulldogs took their largest lead of the game 50-37 after two free throws from Appleby with 17:14 remaining in the second half.
Over the next four and a half minutes, the Vandals used a 17-3 run, including three of Deremy Geiger's six three-pointers, to tie the game up at 53-53.
Down 76-72 with less than two minutes left in the half, Gibson made a layup to cut the deficit to two. Sophomore guard Kenyon McNeail tied with 54 seconds left on the clock after making two free throws.
With time running down, the Vandals' Kyle Barone had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but could not convert his opportunity at the rim as extra time would be needed to decide the outcome.
Idaho controlled the overtime period, going up 88-81 with 42 seconds remaining after two free throws from Djim Bandoumel.
Down by six with 17 seconds left, Appleby made a three-point basket to make the score 90-87.
The Bulldogs' press forced a Vandal turnover to give Tech an opportunity to tie the game.
With 1.2 on the clock, Appleby went to the free throw line after getting fouled on an attempted three-pointer. He made his first free throw but missed his second shot, forcing him to miss this third attempt on purpose which was rebounded by Idaho to end the game.
Along with Gibson's point total, Appleby scored 19 points and senior guard Trevor Gaskins contributed 15 after going 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Cordaruis Johnson chipped in 12 points as well.
Freshman guard Kenneth Smith had a team-high five assists while sophomore guard Kenyon McNeail was credited with four assists without turning the ball over.
On the defensive end, Appleby had four steals for the second straight game and freshman forward Michale Kyser blocked two shots in only five minutes of action.
The Bulldogs shot 46 percent (29-63) from the field including a season-best 54 percent (13-24) from three-point range. Tech made 17-of-22 attempts from the free throw line as well.
For the Vandals, Geiger and Tatum both reached the 20-point barrier with 23 and 20 points, respectively. Stephen Madison contributed 18 and Barone added 13 points while grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds.
Tatum also dished out a game-best six assists and Barone blocked three shots.
The Vandals went 29-for-62 from the field with 10 of their made shots coming from beyond the arc. At the free throw line they made 92 percent of their attempts (22-24) which is the second-highest against Tech this season.
Louisiana Tech finishes up their three-game homestand to begin WAC play against Utah State on Saturday night at 8 p.m.
