Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Boise State
CSU falls at Boise State, 85-76
12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2008
By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
BOISE, Idaho – Colorado State got a double-double from center Dan Vandervieren, and cut a 12-point halftime deficit to just one, but the Rams couldn’t hit their shots down the stretch and fell, 85-76, at Boise State Saturday night at Taco Bell Arena.
The loss moves the Rams to 3-5 on the year. Boise State improved to 6-1, and 6-0 on its home court. The Broncos got their first win over CSU since Dec. 23, 1976.
On the strength of a furious comeback, CSU trailed only 61-60 with 8 minutes, 17 seconds left in the game, when Marcus Walker hit a three-pointer. But Boise State answered with an 8-2 run and the Rams hit a cold spell they couldn’t shake.
Vandervieren, a 6-foot-10 sophomore transfer from Purdue, registered a career- and game-high 12 rebounds and matched his career best with 15 points. He also posted five blocked shots.
“When he gets someone he can lean on, someone of like size, he’s a pretty good player,” said Head Coach Tim Miles. “He was very good for us in a lot of ways and I was very proud of him tonight. I thought he even played better than he played against Minnesota.”
Vandervieren led four Rams in double figures, including Walker (13), Josh Simmons (10) and Willis Gardner, whose 10 points matched a season high established in the opener vs. Montana, Nov. 14.
Gardner, hampered by a sprained ankle since the second game of the year, Nov. 18, saw his most extensive playing time since the injury and collected four assists in his 23 minutes. He did not commit a turnover.
“He kept saying, ‘The ankle feels good,’” Miles said. “I felt like when Willis was in, I liked the way we were playing. He calms us. He kind of gives us what Stu Creason gave us last year, a calming influence.”
But nine of Gardner’s 10 points came in the first half, during which the Broncos held the Rams’ leading scorer, Walker, without a point on 0-8 shooting.
Walker and the Rams were a different team in the second half, outscoring Boise State 46-43 in the stanza. Walker shot 6-9 from the field and scored all 13 of his points after intermission. Vandervieren also had nine second-half points, thanks to CSU’s locker-room adjustments directed at attacking the paint.
“The guys know we can get it in there, and get to the foul line a little more,” Miles said. “We’re just not good enough and deep enough to not put two halves together against a team that’s 6-1.”
There were seven ties and eight lead changes in the game’s early minutes, before Boise State closed the half on an 8-2 run. CSU got only six points over a 12-possession stretch and went into halftime down 42-30.
“We didn’t get enough stops, we weren’t good in transition and we fouled too much. That was really the game. We got to buck up and get ready for Colorado.”
The Rams travel to in-state rival Colorado on Wednesday, an 8 p.m. tipoff at the Coors Events Center in Boulder. After that, the Rams host national power Stanford at Moby Arena Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the McGraw Center box office, on CSURams.com, or by calling 1-800/491-RAMS.
