Rams Pull Away In Late Stages From Arkansas-Fort Smith For 87-73 Victory

Calendar

Show:/

Oct 25

Men's Basketball

at Creighton (Exhibition)

Nov 3

Men's Basketball

vs Incarnate Word

Nov 9

Men's Basketball

vs Omaha

Nov 12

Men's Basketball

vs Cal Poly

Nov 16

Men's Basketball

at Loyola Chicago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A late 10-0 run put the game away for Colorado State, as the home team earned an 87-72 win over a pesky Arkansas-Fort Smith, Dec. 19. With their sixth straight home win this season, the Rams improved to 6-6 overall on the season while the game was an exhibition for the Division II Lions, who are ranked No. 5 in the nation currently.

This was a back-and-forth affair with six ties and 11 lead changes in the game, the last coming with just under 10 minutes to play in the contest as CSU went up 61-60 on a Deion James' tip in. The margin was no more than four over the next four minutes of action before the Rams put on an 8-0 run over 2:30 to take a 73-64 lead. The gap shrunk to as little as six with 4:01 to go but CSU had another surge, this time 10-0 to put the game out of reach in the final minute of play as the Rams closed out the win.

In the opening 20 minutes, the two teams battled in the first seven minutes to a near stalemate, with UAFS lead 14-13. From there, CSU went on a 14-2 run over an eight-minute span to take its largest lead of the first half at 27-16. However, the Lions clawed back to cut it to a two-point game before CSU went into the break with a slim 42-39 advantage.

Both teams shot the ball well, as CSU finished the night 33-of-47 (44.6 percent) while UAFS was 27-of-61 (44.3 percent). The Rams won the battle of the boards 41-39 and forced 17 Lions' turnovers while giving up just six. CSU also added six blocks on the night and eight steals while outscoring the visitors 38-24 on points in the paint.

James, a junior forward, led the Rams with a season-high 22 points on 8-of-12 field goals along with nine rebounds. Junior guard Prentiss Nixon added 17 points, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal, while redshirt-junior guard J.D. Paige chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Redshirt-sophomore guard Anthony Bonner was the other Ram in double figures with 12 points along with four rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot. UAFS was led by Darrion Strong-Moore with 15 points, while Chris Crawford and Ladarius Coleman contributed 12 and 10, respectively.

IN THEIR WORDS
Associate Head Coach Steve Barnes
(on the game overall)
We've had such a tough schedule going into this that the game was even tougher. It would have been nice to have an easier situation, but it also made our guys play and gave us a better barometer of what we need to continue to focus on. I think, all in all, we got the stops when we had to and we moved the ball really well tonight. We really worked on our defending and rebounding and I think we worked on playing hard in practice. We beat a good team tonight; those are guys that have played a lot of places and who could have played or played Division I.

(On Deion James)
A lot of times when a new transfer comes in or a community college player comes in, it takes them about a semester to get used to it. I like that he's starting to get more comfortable around the basket, and boy does he have a good feel around the basket.

Junior forward Deion James
(Thought on what sparked his career game tonight)
I think we started playing defensively well and it converted to offense. I have to thank my teammates a lot for that. They created offense for me and helped me get in a groove. From there, I played really well offensively. Every game I am getting more and more comfortable and I can't thank my teammates enough for helping me out with that. My game is just going to keep improving from here on out.

Junior guard Prentiss Nixon
(Thoughts on Deion James' career game)
I believe last press conference I talked about how every night is a different guy's night to step up for our team to get the win. Last game, it was AB (Anthony Bonner) and tonight it was Deion (James). Having Deion down in the low post made them double team and let the guards spot up. With his high basketball I.Q., he was able to hit us (guards) when we were open. What Deion did today was big, and a big step in the right direction.

STAT OF THE GAME…
The Rams committed a season-low six turnovers and forced 17 for the Lions, converting it into a 19-3 advantage in points off turnovers.

NOTES…
• The Rams are now 3-0 all-time against the Lions, all three games occurring in the last three seasons.
• CSU's regular-season home winning streak is now nine, including the last three wins of the 2016-17 season.
• Head coach Larry Eustachy is now within four wins of Stew Morrill for second on the CSU career coaching chart.
• Prentiss Nixon drew three offensive fouls tonight, running his season total to 24 in just 11 games played.

NEXT UP…
• Colorado State ends non-conference play with its third consecutive home game, taking on Long Beach State, Saturday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. MT
• The contest between the Rams and 49ers will be televised on the MW Network.
• The game will air across the Colorado State Sports Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results