Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
'Dogs Nipped By Tech at Buzzer, 59-58
1/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2012
RUSTON, La. - The Fresno State men's basketball team nearly completed another memorable road comeback, but got burned at the buzzer by Brandon Gibson's game-winning layup that handed the `Dogs a 59-58 loss at Louisiana Tech on Thursday night.
"It was a tough break and we have to learn from these situations," head coach Rodney Terry said. "When you put yourself in position to win the game, you have to be strong with the ball and can't leave any doubt."
The Bulldogs rallied from a 10-point second half deficit and led 58-57 after Fresno State sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe sank two free throws with 17 seconds left for the 'Dogs first lead since just after halftime.
Kenyon McNeail attempt at a go-ahead layup with 9 seconds left didn't fall, but Louisiana Tech grabbed the rebound and called a timeout.
Olekaibe reeled in the ball after Jonathan Wills deflected the inbounds pass. Olekaibe appeared to be fouled but lead referee Verne Harris whistled shared possession from across the court.
Coming out of a quick break, Gibson got the ball and laid it in for the win as time expired.
"I told our guys we had a lot of possessions that could have made the difference, but I like how we fought through the adversity to give ourselves a chance," Terry said. "We just didn't finish the job tonight."
Fresno State missed 12 lay-ups during the contest, but owned a 28-22 advantage overall in the paint.
Cordarius Johnson led Louisiana Tech (11-10, 3-3 Western Athletic Conference) with 16 points. Louisiana Tech has tied its season best with three straight wins.
Louisiana Tech outrebounded Fresno State 34-29, and also had the edge in second-chance points at 19-6, but Bulldogs did outshoot Tech from the floor and at the charity stripe.
Olekaibe scored a game-high 20 points to pace Fresno State (9-13, 1-5), which lost its second consecutive game.
"We Are Your Team!" --- Fresno State will make its last trip as a member of the Western Athletic Conference to New Mexico State on Saturday night, with tip off set for 6:30 p.m. PT. and 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.
