Dec. 31, 2011

Final Stats | Coach White Post Game Interview

DALLAS - Junior guard Brandon Gibson (Marianna, Fla.) scored a career-high 22 points as Louisiana Tech (8-7) fell to SMU (8-5) 73-65 Saturday afternoon in Moody Coliseum.

A layup from senior guard Trevor Gaskins (Alpharetta, Ga.) gave the Bulldogs their only lead of the game, 2-0, before the Mustangs came back with an 11-2 run over the next 4:03 to take control of the first half.

Tech was able to cut the deficit to seven, 33-26, after a fast-break alley-oop dunk from freshman forward Michale Kyser (Lancaster, Texas) on a pass from fellow classmate guard Kenneth Smith (St. Petersburg, Fla.) with 1:43 left in the period.

SMU would take a 37-28 advantage into intermission after scoring four of the final six points of the half.

Falling behind 45-32 with 14:20 left in the game, the Bulldogs went on an 11-4 run over the next 3:35 to pull within six as freshman guard Raheem Appleby (Jacksonville, Ark.) scored four points.

A fast-break layup from Appleby on a long pass from Smith pulled Tech to within four, 51-47, with 9:39 remaining but the Mustangs would push their lead to 58-49.

A three-pointer from Gibson on the next possession cut the disadvantage back to six with 6:28 left in the game.

Another three-point basket from Gibson with 3:15 left on the clock cut Tech's deficit to four. SMU would go up by seven on three free throws before a three-pointer from Appleby cut the disadvantage to 67-63.

That would be as close as the Bulldog's would get as the Mustangs scored six of the game's final eight points of the contest with all six coming from the free throw line.

Appleby was the only other Tech player to reach double-figures as he had 11 points, all of which came in the second half. Sophomore guard Cordarius Johnson (Coushatta, La.) and Kyser scored eight points apiece.

Sophomore guard Kenyon McNeail grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and Smith was credited with eight assists.

With two blocks, Kyser now has 36 on the season and is 11 away from tying for 10^th place on the school's career list.

The Bulldogs shoot 48 percent (29-60) from the field including 6-for-25 from beyond the arc. 32 of Tech's 65 points came in the paint.

Ryan Manuel led SMU with 13 points, all of which came after halftime, and Aliakesi Patsevich contributed 11 points. Robert Nyakundi and Cannen Cunningham had eight rebound each.

Six of the Mustangs' 12 assists came from Jeremia Samarrippas.

SMU went 21-for-47 on field goal attempts including 9-of-18 from three-point range.

At the free throw line, the Mustangs made 22-of-28 while the Bulldogs went 1-for-4. Tech was whistled for 24 fouls, 15 in the second half, compared to 11 for SMU.

LA Tech begins Western Athletic Conference play Saturday night in the Thomas Assembly Center at 7 p.m. against New Mexico State.

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