The WAC teams were busy last night

Fresno State's Bryce Cartwright can apparently shoot as well as pass as Cal Poly found out. The Bulldogs could be a factor in the WAC if this becomes a trend or a game in-game out happening.

Another 'Dog steps up for men's team
Cartwright leads Fresno State to win over Cal Poly.
The Fresno Bee
December 29, 2008

Paul George has been Fresno State's leading scorer this season. But Monday night against Cal Poly, it was another freshman who stepped up for the Bulldogs.

Bryce Cartwright scored a career-high 20 points to help Fresno State edge the Mustangs 90-87 in overtime. Cartwright shot 8 of 9 from the field and was 3 for 3 from 3-point range. It was the first double-digit scoring game of his career.

"Bryce just made shot after shot, and he had a very special evening tonight," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland told KMJ (AM 580). "It's something I didn't expect, but I'm glad it happened."

Cartwright, a 6-foot, 175-pound guard, entered the game averaging 2.8 points per game...

Go here for the remainder.

+++++

Idaho lost a tough one, a game the Vandals were in position to take.

Idaho Athletic Media Relations
12/29/2008

POCATELLO, Idaho – The University of Idaho frittered away a 10-point lead in the final 5:07 and a questionable call with 11-seconds remaining allowed Idaho State University to steal a 61-59 victory.

Idaho (6-7) led 54-44 with 5:07 remaining, but was outscored 17-5 by Idaho State (3-10) down the stretch. The Vandals led 59-57 with the ball and 24 seconds remaining, but an unforced turnover gave the Bengals the ball with 16 seconds remaining. Idaho State tied the game with two free throws with 11.1 second remaining after an Idaho foul, and Mac Hopson was called for a charge as the Vandals attempted to inbound the ball, giving the ball back to Idaho State. Amorrow Morgan, who scored 11 of his game-high 18 points in the second half, sealed the Bengal comeback with a 10-foot jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining...

Go here for the remainder.

+++++

Hawaii makes a statement against GW that is aligned with what many feel about the Capitol Hill inhabitants of D.C.

Rainbows flatten Colonials
Brian McInnis
Honolulu Star Bulletin
December 30, 2008

Any questions about Hawaii's ability to respond after a morale-busting loss have been answered.

George Washington couldn't get anything going offensively against the stingy Rainbow Warriors, who rode a 73-47 rout into the consolation championship of the 45th Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Although the Rainbows (7-4) lost their opening-round game to Colorado State, they can still post a winning record in the final year of the Classic's eight-team format with a victory against Pepperdine (2-11) at 5 p.m. today.

A crowd of 3,219 saw UH post its largest victory margin of the season by hounding the Colonials (6-4) into 30 percent shooting (including 2-for-18 on 3-pointers) and 17 turnovers...

Go here for the remainder.

Plus, here is Dayton Morinaga's take on the same game.

+++++

Boise State takes down Eastern Washington.

Balanced Bronco men win third basketball game in a row
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
12/30/08

The week's worth of rust is gone, but the Boise State men's basketball team still has its winning streak.

The Broncos dispatched Eastern Washington 57-48 in front of 3,069 fans Monday night at Taco Bell Arena in its first game since winning at San Diego on Dec. 22.

It was the third win in a row for Boise State, which at 9-3, has the same record entering conference play as it did a year ago. BSU won the WAC last season...

Go here for the remainder.

+++++

Utah State had an easy time with Howard and it will be a Spectrum version of "Groundhog Day" tonight against Houston Baptist.

Quayle leads Aggies over Bison
Jared Eborn
Deseret News
December 30, 2008

LOGAN — When the season began Utah State coach Stew Morrill made a point of saying there was no single player on this Aggie team capable of replacing Jaycee Carroll.

Probably so, but Jared Quayle gave the boisterous fans at the Smith Spectrum a reasonable substitute for a night, at least, with a jam-packed stat sheet in the Aggies' 85-45 win against an overmatched Howard University team.

Quayle has a tremendous game against the Bison finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as Utah State (10-1) resumed its traditional role as an ungiving holiday host at the Gossner Foods Duel in the Desert...

Go here for the remainder.

Here is Shawn Harrison with his game report.