Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
New Mexico
Lobos top CSU men, 68-50
1/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2009
By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Jesse Carr scored 15 points, 13 in the second half, but New Mexico emerged from intermission and quickly extended a slim halftime lead into a 13-point advantage en route to a 68-50 win over Colorado State Wednesday night at the Pit.
The Rams (7-14, 2-5 Mountain West) have now lost three of their last four as they near the halfway point of their conference schedule. New Mexico (13-8, 4-2) has won four of its last five and now sits in a multi-team tie for second place.
"Not only did we miss some shots, we didn't get some good looks," said Head Coach Tim Miles. "We just didn't do the little things, like get the ball inside effectively."
New Mexico's stiff defense didn't let the Rams operate in paint. The Lobos held the Rams' big men in check throughout the contest.
Carr, who registered his fourth consecutive game in double figures, has now led the Rams in scoring three straight nights, helping to fill the void left by leading scorer Marcus Walker, who's fighting to fulfill his academic requirements.
"I felt like there were some teachable moments tonight for Jesse," Miles said, "but Jesse's a player, now. Jesse's a player. He's a guy that's got a very bright future in a Rams uniform. People are going to be excited to watch him for the next three-plus seasons."
New Mexico got more than 70 percent of its points from three players, double-figure efforts from Chad Toppert (18), Tony Danridge (16) and Daniel Faris (14).
The Rams held the Lobos to just 24 points in the first stanza, New Mexico's second-lowest scoring half of the season. But CSU's 11 first-half turnovers, en route to tying a season-high 20 in the game, prevented the Rams from capitalizing on the Lobos' less-than-average shooting night.
Foul trouble also hampered the Rams. Four CSU players had at least two fouls in the first half, including three on both Dan Vandervieren and Mame Bocar Ba. Andy Ogide's early fouls took him out of the flow of the game, according to Miles. Ogide finished with six points.
"At the end of the day, it was an 18-point loss," Miles said, "but it certainly didn't feel like it. I thought our kids battled. Effort and energy and enthusiasm are a bare minimum in our program."
With an eye on the future of that program, prior to the game Miles wouldn't let his team be intimidated by the always-hostile Pit atmosphere.
"We talked about in pregame," he said. "I asked them, `Why is it so important for you to go into an environment like this and win?' You win in Boise, you win in Salt Lake City, or you win in Albuquerque, well those are regional centers for the NCAA tournament. Now, you draw a Marquette and you've got a whatever seed and you head into an intimidating environment like this, well, if you can prove to yourself that you can win in a place like this, you're going to have that courage and confidence going into the NCAA tournament."
Vandervieren overcame the back spasms that sidelined him the previous five games to contribute four points and four rebounds in 9 minutes. The Rams also played in front of their largest crowd this season, 13,157.
The Rams are next in action Saturday night, when they host San Diego State at Moby Arena. CSU will honor some of the most memorable coaches and players in its history on Legends Night. Tickets are available by calling 1-800/491-RAMS or by logging onto CSURams.com
