GAME NOTES: With their first Western Athletic Conference win finally in the books, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs try to defend their home floor tonight as they face off against the New Mexico State Aggies at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston. After opening league play with nine consecutive setbacks, a last-place Bulldogs squad finally broke through on Saturday with a 72-64 win against Idaho at home. The triumph was just the third since the Bulldogs opened 2007-08 at 1-1. As for the Aggies, they took out another of the WAC's elite over the weekend with a 99-80 victory against Boise State in Las Cruces. The win was the third in a row and the fourth in five games for NMSU, now 8-3 in conference and one of four WAC programs with at least as many league wins thus far. With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, NMSU has won three in a row, including a 63-54 decision in the first meeting this season with LaTech, which means the Aggies hold a 6-2 advantage overall.

One of five players to score in double figures, Jonathan Gibson dropped in 24 points on Saturday versus BSU at the Pan American Center. Jahmar Young added 18 points off the bench, Justin Hawkins had 15, while Herb Pope and Wendell McKines contributed 10 points each and combined for 13 rebounds. Hatila Passos chipped in just eight points, but also produced 11 boards and four assists, while Fred Peete accepted a nine-point effort in exchange for his game-high 12 assists and four steals. In addition to forcing 22 turnovers, NMSU completely dominated the glass, 50-28. Hawkins continues to lead the team in scoring with his 17.4 ppg and is also the leader on the glass with 7.2 rpg. The Aggies are second in the league in scoring with 77.8 ppg, but second from the bottom in terms of points allowed (72.5 ppg). A great deal of the team's scoring prowess comes courtesy of a rebounding effort that averages better than 40 boards per game to pace the WAC and gives the Aggies a rebounding margin of nearly eight per game.

It certainly wasn't going to happen on the road for the Bulldogs, still winless over the course of nine true road games, so the best chance for the team to earn a WAC win was last week versus Idaho and the team turned the trick. JC Clark tallied 16 points, Dwayne Lathan collected 14 points and eight boards off the bench, followed by Orren Tims and Kyle Gibson with 13 and 10 points, respectively, as the team survived just 2-of-11 shooting from three- point range. Although just a 39.9 percent shooter from the field so far this season, Gibson leads the Bulldogs both in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). As one of the lowest-scoring teams in all of college basketball, LaTech is coming in with an average of just 58.9 ppg, but giving up 70.2 ppg. The biggest problem for the group lies in the painted area, specifically on the glass where the Bulldogs are getting beaten by almost 10 boards per game at the moment.

This could easily become one of those trap games where the heavy favorite forgets to take it seriously. However, with the top of the WAC standings in clear view the Aggies won't be caught napping.