Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Pepperdine
Rams Roll Past Waves, 71-56
12/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 10, 2005
Colorado State University's men's basketball team moved to 7-1 on the season with a 71-56 win over visiting Pepperdine Saturday night in Moby Arena.
With the score tied at 17 with just uinder 10 minutes to play in the first half, CSU used a 15-2 run over the next five minutes to break the game open.
Jason Smith, who tied teammate Cory Lewis for team scoring honors with 16, hit a jumper to open the run, and five minutes later, CSU had widened the lead to 32-19.
Lewis, the team's starting point guard, drew praise from Rams' coach Dale Layer for his play. The junior from Lafayette, La., made all four of his field goals, including three behind the three-point arc, and added five free throws plus three rebounds and two assists.
"I thought Cory was the best player on the floor tonight," said Layer. "He continues to make great decisions down the stretch. I am thrilled with his play."
Colorado State opened the second half by outscoring Pepperdine, 9-2, the first four minutes, 24 seconds and took a 20-point, 50-30 lead.
But Pepperdine used a 15-2 run to close the gap to seven, 42-45, with just more than eight minutes remaining in the game.
Lewis scored six of CSU's next nine points and the Rams held Pepperdine to a free throw over a three-minute span to widen the lead back to 18 points, 64-46.
Smith tied for game honors with eight rebounds. Guard Sean Morris joined Smith and Lewis in double figures with 10 points. Guard Steffen Gilling added nine points and made three-of-four three-point goals.
The teams traded four leads - all in the first half - and the game was tied four times. Smith's jumper snapped the final tie in the game.
The 7-1 start by the Rams is the best since an identical record through eight games in 2000-01. The Rams' players will now undergo final fall semester examinations next week.
Colorado State returns to action Dec. 20 in the first round of the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, facing Western Michigan. CSU's next home game is Dec. 28, when the Rams play host to UC-Colorado Springs at 7 p.m. in Moby Arena. Two nights later, CSU faces Arkansas Tech to close out nonconference play.
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