By MATT DEARMAN

mwd004@latech.edu

 

After struggling through the early part of the season, the Tech basketball team pulled off a pair of victories, including a key upset last week, toppling conference leader New Mexico State in a 73-71 overtime victory Jan. 17 in the Thomas Assembly Center and then going on the road to beat Idaho 73-72 Saturday.

The Bulldogs now sit at 6-12 on the season, 4-2 in the WAC, but are a perfect 3-0 in the conference at home. It was also the first conference loss for the Aggies and snapped the country’s longest winning streak at 13 games.

New Mexico State remains No.1  in the WAC with a record of 5-1; they are 14-2 for the year.

“I’m very proud of this team,” Tech head coach Keith Richard said. “This team just would not quit. I feel good for these players. We protected our home court. It’s been tough to squeak out wins, and this helps keep us alive for another day.”

Senior guard Trey McDowell put up a stellar performance to lead Tech to the victory, grabbing six steals and scoring 33 points, including two three-pointers in the last 20 seconds of regulation to force overtime.

“McDowell was special tonight,” Richard said. “This win shows what good guard play can do for you. He really took this team on his back and carried us down the stretch.”

His performance for the week also earned McDowell the WAC Player of the Week award, as he averaged 29 points per game in the two wins.

In the NMSU game, the Aggies came out roaring to start the game, jumping out to a seven point lead before the Bulldogs put their first points on the board. New Mexico State would hold onto the lead throughout the first half, claiming a 12-point advantage at 40-28 going into the locker room.

The Aggie offense shot 57.1 percent from the field in the first half.

In the second half, however, the tables were turned, as NMSU hit just 21.7 percent while the Bulldogs improved from 38.7 to 46.9 percent to claw their way back into the game.

Tech cut the lead down to seven points midway through the second half before one final New Mexico surge put the score at 51-41 with 10:27 left to play.

Defensively, the Bulldogs tightened up from that point, allowing just three points and cutting the lead down to one over the next five minutes, trailing 54-53 before the Aggies connected with a series of free throws to give themselves more breathing room.

Trailing by five points with just over one minute remaining in the game, McDowell came up with a steal that set the stage for a Drew Washington dunk to cut the lead down to 62-59 with 1:02 on the clock.

The situation grew dire for the Bulldogs when NMSU's Shawn Davis was fouled while making a jumper and successfully turned it into a three-point play by hitting the free throw with just :28 remaining.

At that point, McDowell responded by connecting from beyond the arc with 19 seconds left, once again making it a one possession game before a steal by Washing with :13 left set the stage for McDowell’s second miracle shot with nine ticks left, tying the game for the first time in 32 minutes and sending it to overtime.

McDowell’s heroics also carried over into OT, as the Bulldogs never led the game in the extra period until he hit another three-pointer with 13 seconds on the clock to give Tech its first lead of the night at 72-71. He then hit another free throw in the final seconds to secure the win. Twenty-six of his points came after halftime.

Three other Bulldogs finished the night in double figures, including Harry Disy with 12 points and Jerome Richardson and Washington with 10 each. Disy led both teams in rebounding with 12 in the outing.

The Bulldogs followed their outing against the Aggies with another conference win three days later, topping the University of Idaho 73-72 in Moscow, Idaho.

McDowell had 25 points to lead all scorers in the game, while the Vandals had two players with 20 points, as Darin Nagle finished with an even 20 while Keoni Watson had 21 on the night.

Following McDowell for Tech were Richardson with 15 points and McKenzie with 12.

Tech led for the majority of the first half against Idaho, entering the break on top 30-27.

In the second half, the Vandals scrapped their way back into the game early, but the Bulldogs answered back each time to claim a 69-62 lead with under a minute to play.

With the help of missed Bulldog free throws, the Vandals then got the ball back and Nagle connected with a lay-up to cut the lead to 71-69 with 30 seconds remaining.

After Chad McKenzie landed a pair of free throws for Tech, Nagle struck again to close the lead to 73-72 with :17 on the clock. He then drew a charging call against McKenzie to get Idaho one last possession and a shot at the win.

The final shot from Watson bounced off the rim, however, and the Bulldogs escaped with the one-point victory.

Tech basketball will resume action tonight when they face the University of Nevada in Reno at 6 p.m. Nevada is currently tied for first in the WAC with a conference record of 5-1.