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COL BKB: Western Athletic Tournament

RENO, Nev., March 10 (UPI) -- Omar Thomas' 21 points Thursday sent Texas-El Paso into the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, 80-62 over Hawaii.

The Rice Owls also advanced by disposing of Southern Methodist, 63-47. In the evening quarterfinals, Fresno State won in overtime against Louisiana Tech, 84-81, and will play the winner of the late-night contest between Nevada and Boise State.

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Texas-El Paso, a likely NCAA Tournament participant no matter how it does in this event, got 19 points from Filiberto Rivera and 18 from Jason Williams. The Miners improved to 25-7.

Michael Harris made 10 of 15 shots from the field and scored 24 points for Rice (19-10). The Owls began the game with a 16-6 run and allowed SMU just 18 points in the first half.

Texas-El Paso and Rice will meet in Friday's semifinals.

Fresno State escaped with a win when Louisiana Tech's Donell Allick missed a free throw with seven seconds left in regulation.

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