Feb. 9, 2012

Final Stats | Coach White Post Game Interview

LOGAN, Utah - Junior guard Brandon Gibson and freshman guard Raheem Appleby scored 15 points apiece as Louisiana Tech fell 77-63 to Utah State Thursday night in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

The defeat drops the Bulldogs to 11-13 overall and 3-6 in Western Athletic Conference play while the Aggies improve to 13-12 and 5-5 in the conference.

Tech took a 6-3 lead on a three-pointer from sophomore guards Cordarius Johnson and Gibson apiece with 18:20 on the clock. Utah State came back with an 8-0 run over the next 2:02 to go up by five.

Three-point field goals from sophomore guard Kenyon McNeail and Appleby put the Bulldogs back-on-top 12-11 five minutes into the game.

Appleby made a layup to tie the score at 29-29 with 4:50 remaining until halftime. The Aggies scored six of the final nine points of the period to take a 35-32 lead into halftime.

Gibson's layup a little over 30 seconds into the second half brought Tech to within 35-34.

Utah State would pull out to an eight-point advantage but the Bulldogs were able to cut the deficit to 47-43 with 13:37 left on the clock.

The Aggies responded with a 14-2 run over the next 5:50 to go up by 16, their largest lead of the contest.

Tech fought back to cut the disadvantage to 69-63 on a three-pointer from Gibson with 2:08 left in the game. Utah State used an 8-0 to close out the game to pick up the victory.

Gibson was the Bulldogs' leading rebounder with seven while McNeail dished out four assists.

Junior forward J.L. Lewis and freshman forward Michale Kyser both blocked a shot each.

For the game, Tech shot 39.7 percent (23-58) from the field with eight of their field goals coming from beyond the arc.

Preston Medlin scored a game-high 22 points while Kyisean Reed added 20 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.

Brockeith Pane dished out a game-best six assists without turning the ball over.

The Aggies shot 55.6 percent (30-54) from the field including 46.2 percent (6-13) from three-point range. At the free throw line, they made 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) of their attempts.

Utah State outrebounded the Bulldogs 35-29 with 29 of the Aggies boards coming on the defensive glass.

Louisiana Tech continues their weekend road trip at Idaho Saturday night at 10:05 p.m. CT.