A mixed night for the WAC

Boise State came back to earth last night and Idaho faltered back east but Fresno State and Louisiana Tech came through as the WAC continues with the one step forward/one step back routine that has characterized the league so far this season.

First the BSU -BYU contest in which a mixture of factors in the second half waylaid a solid Bronco first 20 minute effort:

Boise State men beaten and battered by Brigham Young
BSU suffers another blowout loss on the road as BYU extends home win streak to 52.
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
12/11/08

PROVO, Utah - No wonder the Boise State men's basketball team tries to play as many home games as possible.

The Broncos ventured out on the road Wednesday for the second time this season and suffered its second embarrassing defeat - a 94-56 drubbing at BYU in front of 10,506 fans at the Marriott Center.

"We didn't do much of anything well," sophomore forward Paul Noonan said.

Technically, that's not true. The Broncos (6-2) led the Cougars (9-0) 29-27 with 1:50 left in the first half before everything fell apart and continually got worse as BYU extended its Division I-best home winning streak to 52 games...

Go here for the remainder.

Here's another option, a Deseret News game writeup.

and

What's the temperature in South Carolina? Is about the same as the Idaho three-point shooting percentage last night?

Vandals' shooting falters
From News and Wire Reports
December 11, 2008

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Idaho Vandals men's basketball team, which entered the week as the sixth-best 3-point field-goal shooting team in the nation at 43 percent, hit just 3 of 28 attempts in falling to South Carolina State 66-59 Wednesday night in non-conference play.

The Vandals (4-5) were also outrebounded 51-40 by the Bulldogs (5-3) of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, who picked up their first Division I victory of the season. Twenty of the Bulldogs' rebounds came on the offensive boards, leading to 15 second-chance points.

Mac Hopson had a game-high 16 points to lead Idaho. Brandon Wiley added 14 points and nine rebounds. Go here for the remainder.

and

Paul George continues to indicate his status as a freshman is a non-indicator regarding his contributions to the Fresno State squad.

Men's basketball finds rhythm
Rout puts 4-4 Fresno State team on a winning streak.
Bryant-Jon Anteola
The Fresno Bee
12/10/2008

Paul George squared up beyond the arc, jumping in one fluid motion with his release just as smooth.

Then, he watched his 3-pointer drop in before trotting back on defense as if he'd made the shot so many times before that it wasn't a big deal.

On this night, everything seemed to look easy for Fresno State.

Fresno State’s Sylvester Seay, right, played a role in the Bulldogs evening their record at 4-4 with a strong offensive game after a recent subpar stretch.

George, the Bulldogs' freshman star, tied a career-high with five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 17 points as Fresno State cruised past Cal State-Bakersfield with a 66-51 nonconference victory Wednesday at the Save Mart Center...

Go here for the remainder.

and

LA TECH got back on track against an in-state rival:

I-20 CHAMPS: Louisiana Tech men take down ULM in revived rivarly game
Ethan Conley
The News Star
December 11, 2008

RUSTON -- The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs were crowned the unofficial champions of I-20 basketball on Wednesday.

Tech put away a pesky ULM squad 69-57 in the opening game of a six-year series. Having already swept a home-and-home series with Grambling, the Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 this season against their local rivals.

"It means a lot," Tech guard Kyle Gibson said. "Even though I'm not from around here, with the local schools, you run into the players at the mall and other places."

The win didn't come easily for the Bulldogs. They led by as much as 14 in the first half, but the Warhawks slowly chipped away at the lead...

Go here for the remainder.

Or go here if you wish a second TECH game writeup.