Dec. 22, 2004

Box Score

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Texas State headed for the mountains Tuesday but in addition to playing in the shadows of the Rockies, the Bobcats faced the tall order of taking on a Colorado State team which featured three players who stood 7-foot or better.

With a definite height advantage, the Rams controlled the boards, shot 60 percent from the field and held off Texas State for an 83-65 win. Colorado State ran its win streak in Moby Arena to seven games and is now 31-4 in nonconference games under fifth-year coach Dale Layer.

Texas State (5-3) continues its road swing Wednesday when the Bobcats take on Northern Colorado in nearby Greeley. Colorado State (6-4) returns to action Dec. 28 when it plays host to Stetson.

Against Texas State Tuesday, Colorado State outrebounded the Bobcats by close to a 2-to-1 margin. Matt Nelson scored a game-high 18 points and had nine rebounds as the Rams pulled down 40 boards to Texas State's 21.

Colorado State scored 44 points in the paint with Nelson, Matt Williams and freshman Jason Smith combining to go 21-of-29 from the field. Among Smith's 12, first-half points was a tip-in of a Williams' miss that gave Colorado State a 34-22 lead, the Rams' biggest lead of the half, with 2:34 to play in the period. Smith finished with 14 points.

"We fought," said Texas State coach Dennis Nutt. "But we were a little limited tonight. Their big guys did a good job getting low in the paint and they finished."

Colorado State opened the second half with a layin by Matt Williams which came after the shot clock went to zero. The officiating crew however stopped play and awarded the Rams the bucket, conferring that a long jumper by Dwight Boatner grazed the rim and there should have been a shot clock reset.

The putback gave Colorado State a 42-29 lead. But from there, the Bobcats would score the next six points and Josh Naylor's three-pointer at the 16:37 mark cut a Ram lead to 44-38.

"You have to get stops," Nutt said. "You can't trade baskets. Every time we got on a run they would get it down low for a basket or get an offensive rebound."

Another three-pointer by Naylor with 10:27 to play cut the Rams' lead to 58-50 before Colorado State went on a 16-4 run. During the Rams' rally, Texas State went 0-for-6 from the field.

Colorado State made 30-of-50 from the field and was also 22-of-28 from the free throw line. The Bobcats' were whistled for a season-high 26 fouls with both starting guard Andre Oupoh and forward Matt Canady each fouling out, marking the first time a Texas State player has fouled out this season.

Texas State was led by Naylor's 17-point effort. He was 5-for-9 from three-point range in the game. Anthony Dill added 16 points for the `Cats.

Brad Brickens, who had started the Bobcats' first seven games this season was sidelined Wednesday by an ankle injury. The junior is averaging 9.4 points and shooting 48 percent from three-point range but will likely not return until the `Cats open Southland Conference play.