Jan. 18, 2012
GameDay Central
RUSTON, La. - After three straight home games to begin Western Athletic Conference play, Louisiana Tech travels to Hawaii for the final time as conference opponents Thursday night at approximately 11:15 p.m. CT in Stan Sheriff Center.
The game will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Lady Techsters and Rainbow Wahine contest that begins at 9 p.m. CT.
With a four-point defeat to Utah State on Saturday, the Bulldogs are now 8-10 overall and 0-3 in the WAC.
Sophomore guard Kenyon McNeail led Tech with a season-high 19 points against the Aggies as he went 7-for-10 from the field including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Brandon Gibson paced the team with seven rebounds on Saturday night.
Leading the way offensively for the Bulldogs is freshman guard Raheem Appleby with 12.5 points per game with senior guard Trevor Gaskins also scoring in double-figures at 10.6 points per contest.
Gaskins (4.3 rpg), Gibson (4.1 rpg), sophomore guard Cordarius Johnson (4.1 rpg) and freshman guard Kenneth Smith (4.0 rpg) are the top rebounders on the team.
Smith is tied for fourth in the WAC with 4.3 assists per game while freshman forward Michale Kyser is second with 2.1 blocks per contest.
As a team, Tech is shooting 40.4 percent on the year including 32.4 percent on three-point field goals.
The Bulldogs are first in the conference and 78th in that nation with 7.7 steals per game.
Hawaii enters the game 10-7 overall and 2-1 in conference action with victories over Fresno State (74-68) and San Jose State (82-69).
Zane Johnson (15.1 ppg), Vander Joaquim (13.8 ppg) and Joston Thomas (12.4 ppg) are averaging double-figures in scoring for the Rainbow Warriors.
Joaquim is the team's top rebounder at 9.8 per game while Jeremiah Ostrowski paces Hawaii with 6.2 assists per contest.
As a team, the Rainbow Warriors are shooting 45.2 percent from the field while holding opponents to 39.9 percent. At the free throw line they shoot 68.8 percent.
Hawaii is outrebounding their opponents by 3.7 boards per contest as they average 39.0 per game as a team.
The game can be heard on KXKZ 107.5 FM, KJVC 92.7 FM and KTKC 92.9 FM with the "Voice of the Bulldogs" Dave Nitz calling the action. LA Tech All-Access subscribers can listen to the game by logging in through LATechSports.com, the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics.
Live stats will be available through the men's basketball GameDay Central page which can be viewed through the link at the top of the page. Twitter users can follow sports information director Phillip Pongratz at www.twitter.com/LATechPPongratz.
