Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Hawai'i
Rams upset Hawaii in Rainbow Classic opener
12/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2008
By John Manuszak
Athletic Media Relations
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Colorado State guards Jesse Carr and Marcus Walker swapped places in the starting lineup. Then they led the Rams to a much-needed road win.
Carr sparked the Rams early in the second half and Walker finished off the game as the duo led CSU to a 74-58 win over Hawaii in their opening game of the Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. The win marked the Rams’ (4-8) first road win since Jan. 17, 2007 at TCU – a span of 24 games.
“I thought inevitably it could happen,” joked Head Coach Tim Miles. “I knew we could go on the road and win a game and I’m really pleased it was out here in Hawaii. We had two really good practices out here and I think our guys were ready for this.”
Walker, playing in his 43rd career game at CSU, came off the bench for the first time and scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, including 3-4 from three-point range.
“We brought Marcus off the bench tonight to do some things and he did,” said Miles. “It was a decision we (coaching staff) made that Marcus could be a spark to get us going. It also gave Jesse and Willis a chance to feed off each other and they did that tonight.”
After suffering a cut on his chin in the first half that required seven stitches, Carr came out of the gate quickly in the second half as he posted four points and three key assists in the first five minutes of the final period.
“Jesse was really good tonight,” said Miles. “He sparked us and made a lot of good decisions especially early in the second half. I also thought he had his best defensive game tonight.”
After trailing at halftime for the sixth time this season, the Rams scored the first four points of the second half to take a lead that they would never relinquish as they sent a season-high 6,257 Hawaii fans away unhappy. It marked CSU’s first win after trailing at halftime this season.
In the second half, CSU held the Rainbow Warriors to 26 percent shooting from the field which helped the Rams build a double-digit lead midway through the second half, and CSU would lead by at least 10 points over the final seven minutes of the game to seal the win. Travis Franklin tallied 13 points on 4-7 shooting and a team-high seven rebounds for the Rams, while Willis Gardner posted 14 points. Dan Vandervieren also added 10 points and three rebounds and connected on 6-7 from the line.
The Rams opened the game scoring 10 of the first 14 points to take a 10-4 lead at the 15:10 mark of the opening period. But the Rainbow Warriors answered right back thanks to the three-point shot. Hawaii hit a pair of three-pointers that sparked a 16-4 run which gave them a six-point lead at 20-14. CSU though went on 8-0 run of its own that was capped off by a Walker three-pointer at the 8:30 mark which gave the Rams a 22-20 lead. Over the course of the next seven minutes, the game would be tied four times including at 34 before Hawaii scored in the closing seconds to take a 36-34 lead at halftime.
The Rams will have Sunday off before returning to the floor on Monday at 2 p.m. MST. The Rams will take on Vermont (7-3), which topped George Washington, 83-72, in the opening game of the Classic on Saturday evening.
