By MATT DEARMAN

mwd004@latech.edu

 

Tech basketball wrapped up its first round of Western Athletic Conference play on the road last week, falling to the University of Nevada 84-67 Thursday, and Fresno State 70-64 two days later.

The Bulldogs dropped to 6-14 this year, 4-4 in the WAC, following the road trip against two of the conference’s top teams, but walked away with positives they hope will carry over into the second round of WAC competition.

“I think the two halves of the game against Nevada showed us two different things,” Tech head coach Keith Richard said. “We know we can play with the best teams in the conference. We played extremely well in the first half.

“It has to be for 40 minutes, though, not just 20. Teams like that can really get away from you if you don’t play well for a few minutes.”

In the meeting with the Bulldogs of Fresno, the teams traded scoring runs in the early going, with the lead changing hands 12 times before Tech’s Chad McKenzie connected with a three-pointer in the final minute of the half to give Tech a 35-33 lead going into the break.

In the second half, Fresno’s Eddie Miller landed a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes to give FSU its biggest lead of the night.

FSU would hold on to that lead for the next ten minutes of play, before Tech finally took back over 53-51 with 9:47 on the clock.

Fresno State would fight its way back on top, however, taking the lead for the final time with just over six minutes left in the game and holding on down the stretch to claim the 70-64 win.

Offensively, Tech’s points were spread among several players in the contest, with McKenzie leading the way with 15.

“I do think we are getting better on the road,” Richard said. “We have played in some of the toughest places in the conference to play, and Fresno hasn’t lost at home yet.

“I think that this year, more than any other, it was important for us to play home games and gain some confidence,” he added, “But we only had three non-conference home games.”

Prior to the meeting with Fresno State, the Bulldogs squared off against conference-leading Nevada, in an 84-67 losing effort Thursday night in Reno.

Against the Wolf Pack (19-2, 7-1 WAC), Tech came out strong; shooting 57.7 percent from the field in the first half to enter the locker room tied 37-37 with the No. 15 team in the country.

Tech never trialed in the first 20 minutes, holding a lead as big as eight points at the midway point before the Wolf Pack started closing the gap, ultimately evening the count off a dunk with four seconds remaining in the half.

After the break, however, Nevada took the drivers seat and never relinquished it, holding Tech scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half.

That edge would be all Nevada would need, as the Wolf Pack quickly amassed an 11-point advantage at 52-41 and set the tempo the rest of the contest, running away with the 84-67 win.

“It’s not just the last five minutes of a game that matter,” Richard said. “The first few minutes of the second half killed us. We talked about it at half time and knew they were going to come out strong. We just didn’t respond. It went from tied to ten points in four minutes.”

McKenzie led the Bulldog offense in the contest with 19 points, followed by Trey McDowell with 17 and Harry Disy with 11.

Tech basketball will look to climb in the conference rankings during the second round of WAC games, which began last night against Nevada in Thomas Assembly Center. Tech’s next challenge will be the Boise State Broncos at home Saturday night.

“Coming off a long road trip, it’s great to not be traveling this week,”  Richard said. “With all the improvements we’ve made this month, it really comes at a perfect time. If we play well, we could beat both of these teams.”