One-point woe

MOSCOW, Idaho – When the final buzzer sounded, all Keoni Watson could do was lie on his back, his hands covering his face.

For the second time this weekend, the Idaho Vandals were involved in a thrilling one-point finish.

This time, however, it was the visitors – the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs – who walked off Cowen Spectrum celebrating, as Watson’s last-second shot bounced off the back of the rim and fell to the floor with the senior point guard to finish a 73-72 Louisiana Tech basketball victory.

“I’ve seen Keoni make that shot a hundred times since I’ve been here,” Vandals first-year head coach George Pfeifer said. “When you get to the end of the game like that, you shake the dice.”

Idaho (3-15, 1-5 Western Athletic Conference) got off to a sluggish start on offense in the first half and despite owning a one-point lead early in the second half, it never seemed to find a grip on the game.

The Bulldogs (6-12, 4-2), who were challenged by head coach Keith Richard to get offensive rebounds, collected 15 and seized many second-chance baskets in the second half to force the Vandals into the final drive. Louisiana Tech outrebounded the Vandals 40-21.

“We said we’d have to keep them off the glass,” Pfeifer said. “Several times we would secure the ball and they would rip it away.”

“They were just manhandling us,” said Idaho junior forward Darin Nagle. “They were getting it inside and just push us around. They weren’t bigger than us, they were more physical than us.”

Louisiana Tech had crisp shooting all night, hitting 49 percent from the floor – led by senior guard Trey McDowell’s 11-of-20 night in a 25-point effort. Watson led all Vandals with 21.

The Vandals trailed 69-62 after Louisiana Tech’s Terry Parker hit two free throws with 54 seconds left.

But after a pair of 3-pointers from Watson and a 30-footer by Nagle, the Vandals closed the gap to one point with less than 20 seconds left.

Nagle then drew a charge on the Bulldogs’ Chad McKenzie, setting up the final possession with 13 seconds left.

The Vandals couldn’t finish.

“We didn’t do something to get the victory,” Pfeifer said, “And we let things go by that secured the loss.”

Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, has garnered momentum on this road trip after surprising New Mexico State on Wednesday and following it with Saturday’s thriller.

“It’s always tough to go into someone else’s house and get a win,” McDowell said. “Coach told us he would be happy if we won by one. His prediction was right. We won by one.”

La. Tech 73, Idaho 72

Louisiana Tech (6-12, 4-2) – McKenzie 4-14 4-4 12, Washington 3-5 3-4 9, McDowell 11-20 1-2 25, Disy 4-7 1-4 9, Richardson 6-8 3-4 15, Rogers 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Parker Jr. 0-1 3-4 3. Totals 28-57 15-22 73.

Idaho (3-15, 1-5) – Watson 8-16 4-5 21, Crowell 0-2 0-0 0, Avworo 1-1 3-5 5, Nagle 7-15 4-6 20, Jackson 4-8 4-4 12, C.Johnson 3-5 0-0 6, Morris 2-5 3-3 8, Nwoke 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 18-23 72.

Halftime—Louisiana Tech 30, Idaho 27. 3-Point Goals—Louisiana Tech 2-7 (McDowell 2-5, Washington 0-2), Idaho 4-15 (Nagle 2-6, Morris 1-3, Watson 1-4, Jackson 0-1, C.Johnson 0-1). Fouled Out—Disy, McKenzie. Rebounds—Louisiana Tech 40 (Disy 11), Idaho 21 (C.Johnson, Watson 4). Assists—Louisiana Tech 7 (McKenzie 3), Idaho 13 (Watson 5). Total Fouls—Louisiana Tech 21, Idaho 18. A—2,041.