There's not much to do in Ruston, La., so the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team drove 35 minutes to go bowling last night in nearby Monroe.

"Best score I had in 21 years — 148 — and the coaches beat the players," Hawai'i coach Riley Wallace said.

Today, the Rainbow Warriors are hoping to bowl over Louisiana Tech in a crucial Western Athletic Conference game at the Thomas Assembly Center.

The 'Bows and Bulldogs are the only 2-0 teams in the WAC right now, so the winner will take over sole possession of first place. Hawai'i is 8-4 overall; LaTech is 9-6.

"It's a long trip, but I think we've adjusted," Wallace said. "We had two good practices. We've been eating good meals. We had fun bowling (last night). We're ready."

Hawai'i arrived in Ruston on Tuesday afternoon, and got to practice in the Thomas Assembly Center Tuesday and yesterday.

The 'Bows will have to be ready to take on one of the best low-post players in the country in 6-foot-8 Paul Millsap.

LaTech head coach Keith Richard said Millsap has made improvements in each of his three seasons with the Bulldogs.

"He's gotten bigger; he came to us at 6-7 and 220 (pounds) as a freshmen. He's now 6-8 and 250, and he looks good at the 250," Richard said. "He's gotten a little bit better offensively in the half court. Not where he needs to be, but he's taken a little step each year. I'm just trying not to mess up the rebounding part. That's been good from day one."

Millsap is averaging 20.7 points per game and is second in NCAA Division I with 11.9 rebounds per game. He led the nation in rebounding as a freshman and sophomore, and is seeking to become the first player in NCAA-I history to lead the nation in rebounding three times.

"People forget you have to stay with him all the time," Wallace said. "You have to keep a body on him because he will go over you, around you, what ever it takes to get that board."

The 'Bows will try to neutralize Millsap with 6-7 Ahmet Gueye. Chris Botez, a 7-foot reserve center, could also defend Millsap.

"I don't know anything about him because this is my first time against him," Gueye said. "But I heard he's a great player and it's going to be a great challenge."

Led by Millsap, the Bulldogs lead the WAC with 40.4 rebounds per game. Hawai'i is third with 36.6.

"They're ferocious rebounders," Wallace said of LaTech. "And they all jump on (Millsap's) back. Once he starts going after the boards, they all join him."

The 'Bows might be content to let Millsap reach his averages if they can shut down the rest of the Bulldogs. After Millsap, the next highest scorer is Corey Dean with 8.6 points per game.

"Millsap is strong; he goes after every board on offense and defense," Hawai'i senior forward Julian Sensley said. "But if we can keep him in check and make the other guys do stuff, we should be all right."

The Bulldogs start three guards, so they will have to deal with Hawai'i's size advantage. The 'Bows will start four players 6-6 and taller. All of LaTech's starters are 6-8 and shorter.

In any case, the game should be close based on recent history. The last six games between the teams have been decided by an average of 3.2 points, with LaTech winning four of the six.

"Hard fought, home or away," Richard said. "I don't see this one being any different."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.