In the WAC last night

Okay, let's begin the tour around the WAC with New Mexico State's visit to Boise.

Sam Wasson at BleedCrimson.net offers his analysis of the 87-84 Aggie defeat. Go here for that.

Here's Las Cruces Sun-News sports editor Teddy Feinberg blogging about the game.

Nick Jezierny provides his take on the matchup:

Boise State men's basketball: No slam dunk
La'Shard Anderson's free throws in the final seconds help Broncos stop a two-game skid
Nick Jezierny
The idaho Statesman
1/23/09

La'Shard Anderson looked extremely comfortable with the fate of the game in his hands Thursday night.

That's because he was.

Anderson hit four free throws in the final seconds and his Boise State men's basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak by holding on to beat New Mexico State 87-84 in front of 3,079 fans at Taco Bell Arena.

The victory puts the Broncos (13-5 overall, 4-2 WAC) alone in third place of the conference standings.

And it was Anderson, the sophomore backup point guard, who made sure of it. He finished with a career-high 15 points, none bigger than the four free throws down the stretch...

Go here for the remainder.

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Here's Shawn Harrison with his USU - SJSU game report (and a hat tip to the management of The Herald Journal for sending him to San Jose to cover the game, this despite major cutbacks in the media):

Ags barely hang on
Shawn Harrison
The Herald Journal
January 23, 2009

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Nothing like starting the redemption tour off on the right foot.

Well, perhaps that is overstating it a bit, as the Aggies had to hold on for dear life. It certainly got more interesting than Utah State would have liked Thursday night at The Event Center.

In the end, however, the Aggies came out on top of San Jose State 62-58 to keep their winning streaks alive.

“We had to hang on by our fingernails to get a win,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said. “Sometimes it’s amazing what it comes down to.”

The Aggies made just 5-of-10 free throws in the final 74 seconds and didn’t make a field goal after Gary Wilkinson did at the 4:08 minute mark. Still, USU found a way to win in a Western Athletic Conference game against the Spartans in front of 1,948 fans.

“We keep playing Russian roulette in a sense,” said Wilkinson, who had a game-high 25 points. “If we keep playing this, we are going to lose. We need to find a way to finish it off...”

Go here for the remainder.

Martin Renzhofer of The Salt Lake City Tribune was also in San Jose last night (so kudos to the management of that newspaper):

Men's hoops: Aggies win 13th straight
Martin Renzhofer
The Salt Lake Tribune
1/23/2009

San Jose, Calif. » With eight seconds remaining and Utah State's once double-digit lead all but evaporated, Stavon Williams stood at the foul line brimming with confidence.

"I knew before I took the shots they were going in," said Williams, who buried both chances as the Aggies escaped San Jose State with a 62-58 Western Athletic Conference victory Thursday night in The Event Center.

"I thanked him," said USU coach Stew Morrill, wiping sweat from his forehead. He could hardly be blamed as his usually dependable Aggies missed five foul shot attempts in the final minute. "Thank goodness we had a cushion going down the stretch."

Utah State (18-1, 6-0 WAC), winners of 13 straight, led by 11 with a little more than four minutes to play. The Aggies proceeded, aided by some Spartan (8-9, 2-4) pressure, to miss several layups as well as the free throws.

They finished 13 of 20 from the foul line.

"It was three starters, three guys who are normally very clutch," Morrill said of the misses. "That sort of thing feeds off itself..."

Go here for the remainder.

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Nevada won at home by 11 against Hawaii

Pack rolls 'Bows
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
January 23, 2009

There's no number 10 on Nevada's roster, but there he was on the free-throw line time and time again in the second half of the Wolf Pack's game Thursday night.

The guy in the jersey, Brandon Fields, usually dons the number zero, but had to make a quick wardrobe change early in the second half thanks to some spillled blood on his No. 0.

Judging by his play, the new number fit him just fine.

Fields scored a game-high 19 points -- 15 in the second half -- to lead the Wolf Pack to a 74-63 victory over Hawaii in front of 7,247 fans at Lawlor Events Center. The junior shooting guard was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line after intermission, helping Nevada stave off a spirited Hawaii rally.

"I though we played well as a team," said Fields, who also tied a season high with four assists. "We didn't defend in the second half like we should have. They're a good team. It's a good win."

Nevada, which led 37-20 at intermission, built a 20-point lead early in the second half. After leading 48-29 with 12 minutes, 36 seconds remaining, Nevada allowed Hawaii to go on a 17-4 run to cut the deficit to 52-46 at the 8:02 mark before the Wolf Pack stabilized the lead and the game...

Go here for the remainder.

Here's Chris Murray with the keys to the game.

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Fresno State picks up a league win:

Dogs drop guard, win
One-game suspension of O'Neil doesn't cost a victory.
Daniel Lyght
The Fresno Bee
January 22, 2009

Louisiana Tech had Dwight O'Neil where it wanted him during Thursday night's game at the Save Mart Center -- in jeans and a letterman-style jacket on the bench.

Fresno State's starting point guard was suspended for the game for inappropriate behavior during and after Fresno State's previous game at Nevada.

The Bulldogs did just fine without him, however. Freshman Bryce Cartwright filled in at point guard and the Bulldogs thumped Louisiana Tech 63-46 at the Save Mart Center, snapping their four-game losing streak.

"I know we've been waiting for a while for a win in league," coach Steve Cleveland said. "We had some opportunities [in past games] but it feels good to get a win."

Cleveland said O'Neil was remorseful and will play against San Jose State on Saturday. He explained in part why O'Neil, the team's lone senior and third-leading scorer, was suspended. O'Neil was not made available to the media...

Go here for the remainder.