By Matt Dearman

mwd004@latech.edu

 

Men’s basketball improved to 9-6 on the season and 2-0 in the Western Athletic Conference following a pair of road wins against Boise State and the University of Idaho last week.

At Idaho (3-9, 0-2), the Bulldogs ousted the Vandals 66-61, giving the Tech basketball program its first 2-0 conference start in three years.

“These were two great wins on the road,” Tech head coach Keith Richard said. “It was a long road trip, and we traveled a long way, so I’m thrilled to come away with two wins.”

Tech jumped ahead of Idaho early in the contest off a three-pointer from Marcus Elliott to open the scoring on the night.  The Bulldogs then jumped out to a 7-2 lead less than three minutes into the game and maintained the momentum to go into halftime with a 32-24 advantage.

Elliott led the Bulldogs offensively in the first half with 10 points, while Paul Millsap contributed to the effort with nine points and seven rebounds through the midpoint.

Idaho cut the lead down to two points in the opening minutes of the second half with an 8-2 scoring run before the Bulldogs answered back with a run of their own to go on top 39-32 with 17:47 to play in the game.

From there, Idaho rallied to close the gap and the score remained close through the majority of the second half, with the Vandals taking their first lead of the game at 49-47 with 8:22 remaining.

Tech jumped back on top 37 seconds later off a three-pointer from Michael Wilds, and the Bulldogs would maintain the lead through the end of the game, winning the contest with a 66-61 score.

The Bulldogs were led in the game by Millsap with 21 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Elliott with 16 points and Corey Dean with five steals.

Prior to defeating Idaho, Tech visited Boise State (7-5, 0-1) on Jan. 5 in their WAC opener, where the Bulldogs defeated the Broncos 75-72 off a last-second three-pointer from Millsap.

After a first minute Tech four-point rally, Boise State took the driver’s seat early, going on top 5-4 at the 17:38 mark and maintaining the lead through the majority of the first half.

The Bulldogs regained the lead 25-24 with 6:31 to play, and held on to go into halftime on top 41-37.

Wilds led Tech in scoring in the first half with eight points, while Millsap and Dean each contributed with six. Millsap also led the team with six rebounds through the half.

Boise State and Tech exchanged scores early in the second half, before the Broncos pulled ahead 59-58 with 10:57 left in the game.

Tech regained the lead with 8:39 to play off a three-pointer from Wilds.

The lead would change hands twice more from that point, leading to a 72-72 tie with 3:20 remaining.

Neither team would score again until the final seconds of the game, when Millsap grabbed an offensive rebound and connected from the three-point line with one second remaining to win the game 75-72 for the Bulldogs.

Millsap was Tech’s leading producer in the game with 18 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Wilds with 11 points and Dean with 10 points.

Tech’s depth was also a factor in the contest, as nine Bulldogs saw 10 or more minutes of play.

“You don’t win without depth,” Richard said, “It’s been a strength for our team this year.”

The Bulldogs return to action tonight when the play host to the University of Hawai’i at 7 in the Thomas Assembly Center, and then will host Fresno State at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tech, Hawai’i, and Fresno State are also the only teams that remain undefeated in the conference.