Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs Make Final WAC Trip to LA Tech
1/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State returns to the hardwood Thursday at 4 p.m. PT at Louisiana Tech and will also face New Mexico State on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. PT in Las Cruces, N.M. to wrap up its final road trip to the eastern WAC schools.
Both contests will be featured on the WAC Sports Network (KAIL 7.1/53/Comcast Cable 13/www.espn3.com) and KMJ 580 AM.
GAME 22/WAC 06 NOTES: Fresno State 
PREVIEW: GAME 22 • WAC GAME 06
Fresno State (9-12, 1-4 WAC) at Louisiana Tech (10-10, 2-3 WAC)
Date: Thursday, January 26, 2012 (Tip Off: 4 p.m. PT)
Site: Thomas Assembly Center (8,098); Ruston, La.
Radio: KMJ 580 AM (Paul Loeffler/Randy Rosenbloom)
TV: WAC Sports Network (Guy Haberman/Dave Bollwinkel)
Online: www.espn3.com
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Next Up: Fresno State starts second half of WAC play at home
Quick Bulldog Bites
• Fresno State will have traveled 19,481 miles entering Thursday's game in Ruston
• Fresno State leads the WAC in turnover margin (+3.00), fewest turnovers per game (11.3)
• Fresno State is 7-0 when holding opponents to less than 60 points
• Olekaibe (O-LAY-key-bay) ranks in the top 5 sophomores, 2nd in WAC in scoring (18.1 ppg)
• Olekaibe (O-LAY-key-bay) has scored 711 points in 50 career games
• Wills ranks in the top 25 seniors, leads WAC in free throw efficiency (74-85, 87.1%)
• Shepp ranks in the top 20 seniors, leads WAC in assists and assists/game (105, 5.0 apg)
About the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (Western Athletic) are 10-10 on the season with a 2-3 mark in WAC play, but rides a two-game conference win streak after winning at Hawai'i and San Jose State last week. LA Tech's Raheem Appleby is the reigning WAC Player of the Week after averaging 23.5 ppg to fuel the road sweep. Fresno State leads the all-time series, 14-12.
SAVE THE DATE: Heroes Night on Feb. 4 when Bulldogs Host Defending Champs
To recognize the heroic efforts of Fresno's finest and bravest, head coach Rodney Terry invites all police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, active military and veteran's along with their families and friends, to experience Bulldog hoops on Feb. 4 when the `Dogs host Utah State. All heroes will receive a discounted ticket price of only $5 for the final regular season meeting between the Bulldogs and Aggies, with tip off set for 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center.
Bulldogs Fall to First-Place Wolf Pack on the Road, 74-61
Sophomore Tyler Johnson tied a career-high with a team-best 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds in Fresno State's 74-61 road loss to first-place Nevada. Johnson's 17 headlined three Bulldogs in double figures through the net. Jerry Brown tallied 14 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Olekaibe scored 13 for his 17th double-digit scoring effort of the season.
Olekaibe Lighting Up the Nets
Even as teams gameplan to stop him, Bulldogs' guard Kevin Olekaibe is a scoring machine or opens up the offense for his teammates. He ranks in the top five NCAA DI sophomore scorers and sits second in the WAC at 18.1 points per game. This season, Olekaibe has scored in double-digits in 17 games and topped the 25-point mark six times.
'Dogs Picked 6th, 7th in Preseason WAC Polls
The Bulldogs know they have some work to do to exceed the expectations of the WAC head coaches and media, who picked the Fresno State men's basketball team to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 2011-12 preseason selections. Nevada and Utah State were tabbed as the early frontrunners by the coaches and media.
Terry's Point of Emphasis
"We want our program to mirror our community - a hard-working team that competes night in and night out." - Head Coach Rodney Terry
"We Are Your Team!" --- Fresno State is set to make its final visits as a member of the Western Athletic Conference to Louisiana Tech on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday. Both conference contests will be featured on the WAC Sports Network (KAIL 7.1/53/Comcast Cable 13) and KMJ 580 AM. Be sure to also follow Coach @RodneyTerry on Twitter for updates from the road.
