Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: CSU hosts No. 10/12 New Mexico
2/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game 27: Colorado State vs. 10/12 New Mexico
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 | 8 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena (8,745)
Up next
The Colorado State men’s basketball team hosts its second ranked opponent in less than a week when the No. 10/12 New Mexico Lobos come to Moby Arena for a Tuesday night matchup.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT at Moby Arena where the Rams have posted a 10-3 mark this season.
The game will be televised live on The Mtn. with Rich Cellini (play-by-play) and Blaine Fowler (color analyst) bringing fans all the action from courtside.
The Rams (15-11, 6-6 MWC) are looking to snap a two-game losing skid, having dropped back-to-back games vs. then-No. 16/14 BYU and at UNLV, who was receiving votes in both national polls.
New Mexico enters Tuesday’s contest with an overall record of 25-3, and an 11-2 mark against MWC opponents. The Lobos are riding an 11-game winning streak, and are coming off of a 59-56 scare at Air Force on Saturday.
Fans can listen to the game on the Colorado State Sports Network. Jerry Schemmel will call all the action courtside. The game will be carried on flagship KLZ (560 AM) in Denver and on KCOL (600 AM), locally. Rams fans worldwide can listen via live streaming audio on CSURams.com/allaccess.
Live statistics are available by clicking the “GameTracker” logo on the men’s basketball “Schedule/Results” page on CSURams.com.
Looking ahead
Colorado State plays the first of two consecutive road contests, traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday night. The game will be televised live on the Mtn., with Rich Cellini (play-by-play) and Bob Donewald (color analyst) calling all the action. Tipoff is scheduled to for 6:30 p.m. MT.
About New Mexico
The No. 10/12 Lobos hold the nation’s fifth longest win streak (11) and sit a half-game ahead of BYU for first place in the MWC standings heading into Tuesday’s contest. After dropping their first two conference games, the Lobos have rattled off a school-record 11 consecutive conference wins, since a 74-62 loss to UNLV on Jan. 9.
Additionally, the Lobos have beaten five ranked teams this season, tied for second most in the nation. Their No. 10 ranking is their highest since peaking at No. 8 during the 1997-98 season.
Head Coach Steve Alford is in his third year in Albuquerque, guiding the Lobos to a 71-24 record.
In 2008-09, the Lobos tied for the MWC regular-season title and earned a postseason berth in the NIT. The Lobos’ lone senior, Roman Martinez, has started all 28 games and averages 13.8 points a contest, second best on the team. He shoots 45 percent from the floor, including 42.5 percent from beyond the arc, and ranks second on the roster with 6.1 rebounds a game.
Despite having a young roster of nine freshmen and sophomores, New Mexico has three other players averaging double figures: juniors Darington Hobson (15.5 points) and Dairese Gary (11.5) and sophomore Phillip McDonald (11.2).
Hobson ranks third in the MWC in scoring, just ahead of Martinez, who is fifth in the league. Hobson also leads the team in rebounding (8.8 rpg.), second in the MWC, while pacing the team with 129 assists on the season.
As a team, the Lobos rank second in the MWC, averaging 77.0 points per game, and hitting nearly 38 percent of their shots from three-point range. UNM also leads the conference in rebounding offense, pulling down 38.9 boards per contest.
Series vs. New Mexico
Tuesday’s game marks the 107th in the series between the Rams and the Lobos, with UNM holding a 65-41 advantage all-time.
CSU has won 29 of the previous 50 meetings in Fort Collins, but the Lobos are riding a six-game winning streak against CSU, while also capturing five straight at Moby Arena. Colorado State’s last home victory over New Mexico came March 6, 2004, a 76-66 victory.
Last time vs. New Mexico
Tied 22-22 late in the first half, New Mexico used a 14-2 run over the final six minutes, forcing CSU without a field goal, and the Lobos went into the locker room with a 38-24 advantage.
Soon after halftime, New Mexico had pushed the Rams’ deficit to 19 points, 48-29, at the 16:35 mark of the second half. The lead ballooned to as many as 22 points for the Lobos, and the Rams crept to within 15 points, 72-57, before eventually falling 82-64 at the Pit.
Last meeting in Fort Collins
The last meeting between the Rams and the Lobos in Fort Collins, Feb. 28, 2009, proved to be one of the most exciting games in recent memory for either program. The two teams battled to two overtimes, and despite 33 points from CSU’s Marcus Walker, the Lobos escaped Moby Arena with an 81-79 victory.
After sending the game into overtime with a dramatic tip-in off a missed shot, and escaping a Marcus Walker three-point attempt at the end of the first overtime, the Lobos dodged one final bullet in the second overtime. In that period, the Lobos scored five unanswered points to take a 78-73 lead. But a Walker three-pointer with 1:22 cut the lead to one (78-77). With 25 seconds left, Dairese Gary drove the lane and connected on a layup to put the Lobos up two. Walker answered again with a pair of free throws with 9 seconds remaining. On New Mexico’s final possession, CSU’s Harvey Perry fouled Chad Toppert, who split the free throws. The Rams took a timeout and in the final seconds got a decent look at a layup for Willis Gardner and a tip-in attempt as time expired by Travis Franklin, but both baskets were no good and the Lobos raced out of Moby Arena with the win.
Current Rams vs. New Mexico
Freshmen Dorian Green and Greg Smith each poured in 13 points for the Rams in their first-career meeting with the Lobos earlier this year at The Pit. Green connected on three three-pointers, while Smith pulled down seven rebounds and recorded three assists.
Junior Andre McFarland is averaging 8.4 points and 5 rebounds per game in five career games against New Mexico. He has scored in double figures twice, including a double-double his freshman year with 10 points and 10 boards.
Senior Harvey Perry has played just one game against the Lobos in his career at CSU, but it ranks among his best in a Rams uniform. Perry recorded 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, in last season’s double-overtime thriller at Moby Arena. The 13 points still ranks second in Perry’s career.
Rams vs. ranked opponents
Colorado State enters Tuesday’s game looking to snap a nine-game losing streak against nationally ranked opponents. The last time that CSU beat a top-25 opponent was March 11, 2004 vs. then-No. 25 Air Force in the opening round of the MWC tournament at Pepsi Center.
Colorado State’s last home victory over a ranked opponent was that same season, a 71-69 victory over No. 21 Purdue on Dec. 30, 2003. The game produced one of the most memorable endings in CSU history when Micheal Morris hit two three-pointers in the final 0.7 seconds, including the final trey off of a tipped in-bounds pass, to lift CSU past the Boilermakers.
Sweeping up the competition
Colorado State’s last win vs. Air Force, a 51-47 Rams triumph, marked the Rams’ second regular-season sweep of a conference opponent this season, including Wyoming.
Colorado State had not swept two teams in the same season since 1999-2000, when the Rams also swept the Falcons and the Cowboys. The Rams have two games left against teams that they defeated in their first meeting of the season: at TCU (Feb. 27), and vs. Utah (March 6).
Looking for No. 7
With six conference wins in the bag, the Rams have their sights on No. 7. A win Tuesday would give the Rams their most conference wins in a season since the team won eight during the 1999-2000 season. That year, CSU went 18-12 overall, including its 8-6 mark in the MWC.
Franklin’s free throws
Junior F Travis Franklin attempted 14 free throws in CSU’s loss to BYU on Feb. 17, becoming the 10th player in school history with 200 attempts from the charity stripe in a single season. The last player to reach that mark was Jason Smith, who attempted exactly 200 free throws in 2006-07. Bill Green set the school record for free-throw attempts in a single season with 291 in 1962-63. Pat Durham ranks just ahead of Franklin on the charts with 206 attempts in 1986-87. Franklin enters Tuesday’s game vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico with 204 attempts on the season.
Home Court Advantage
CSU reeled in its 10th home win of the season at Moby Arena on Feb. 6 vs. Wyoming. The last time the Rams had 10 wins on their home court was in 2006-07 when the team went 10-4.
The Rams are 10-3 at Moby Arena in 2009-10, with the losses coming vs. UNLV (80-72) on Jan. 20, vs. San Diego State (64-52) on Jan. 30, and vs. No. 16/14 BYU (92-70) on Feb. 17.
CSU opened the season with eight consecutive home victories, including wins over in-state rivals Denver (64-59) and Colorado (77-62) on Dec. 5 and Dec. 10, respectively. The Rams have also captured MWC home victories over Air Force (70-48) on Jan. 9, TCU (63-57) on Jan. 27, and Wyoming (80-64) on Feb. 6.
With an all-time record of 444-191 (.699) at Moby Arena, the Rams have now won 10 or more games in a single season at Moby Arena 23 times in the arena’s history.
Rams’ 20-point games
Junior F Travis Franklin tallied a game-high 20 points to lead CSU to an 80-64 victory over rival Wyoming on Feb. 6. It marked Franklin’s team-leading fourth 20-point game of the season, helping the Rams to a 4-0 mark in those contests.
Franklin’s 20-point scoring effort marked the ninth such game by a Rams player this season. The following is a list of CSU’s 20-point scoring games for 2009-10:
• Andy Ogide (24), vs. UC Davis (11-13-09)
• Andre McFarland (20), vs. UC Davis (11-13-09)
• Travis Franklin (24), vs. San Francisco (11-29-09)
• Travis Franklin (22), vs. Colorado (12-10-09)
• Dorian Green (21), vs. Colorado (12-10-09)
• Travis Franklin (22), vs. Northern Arizona (12-20-09)
• Andy Ogide (22), at Wyoming (1-6-10)
• Dorian Green (20), vs. UNLV (1-20-10)
• Travis Franklin (20), vs. Wyoming (2-6-10)
Strong Freshman Class
The Rams have a talented trio of freshmen that have turned many heads during their first year of collegiate basketball. These freshmen are eying several categories in CSU’s freshman record book.
Dorian Green not only leads the team but ranks No. 8 in the MWC with 12.4 points per game. His current average would go down as third all-time among freshmen. Additionally, his 26 starts are one shy of tying Eddie Hughes for third. He currently trails Andre McFarland (31 in 2007-08), Rich Strong (30 in 1982-83), and Hughes (27 in 1978-79).
Pierce Hornung has been great on the glass, averaging 4.5 rebounds a contest. His current average is sixth all-time behind Mark Jung (4.7 in 1978-79).
Greg Smith has turned his play up a notch over the past few weeks. On the season, Smith is averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Busch in the starting lineup
Entering Tuesday’s game vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico, senior F Travis Busch has started eight consecutive games for CSU since CSU’s first meeting with the Lobos on Jan. 23. During that run, Busch has averaged 6.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He tallied career highs with 13 points, four steals and one block in 33 minutes at Utah on Feb. 3. Busch added his second double-digit scoring game at CSU in the Rams’ last outing vs. BYU, tallying 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Smith hitting his stride
Freshman F Greg Smith posted the best performance of his brief career vs. TCU on Jan. 27. He recorded career highs in minutes (29) and points (15), leading CSU to a victory over the Horned Frogs.
That performance capped a four-game stretch in which Smith averaged 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest, while hitting 81.5 percent (22-for-27) from the free-throw line during one of the Rams’ toughest stretches on their schedule.
Smith was a bright spot during a three-game losing streak for the Rams. He posted a then-career-high and team-leading 13 points at BYU on Jan. 16, and matched that effort and tied for team-high honors with another 13-point effort at New Mexico on Jan. 23. Smith also tallied six points and four rebounds in a tough home loss to UNLV on Jan. 20.
Entering Tuesday’s contest vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico, Smith has scored in double-digits in two of his last three games, having posted 10 points in CSU’s victory at Air Force (Feb. 9), and tallying 11 points vs. BYU on Feb. 17.
Franklin a force for the Rams
Despite struggling from the free-throw line (3-for-14 FTs) in the Rams’ 80-72 loss vs. UNLV on Jan. 20, junior F Travis Franklin turned in one of the best single-game performances by a CSU player this season. Franklin poured in 17 points, while pulling down a game-high-tying nine rebounds and dishing out a team-leading five assists. It marked just the second time this season that a CSU player had scored in double-figures, and led the team in both rebounds and assists. Franklin also accomplished the feat when he tallied 10 points and added 10 rebounds, while dishing out a pair of assists at Northern Colorado on Dec. 1, a 70-63 CSU loss. Freshman Greg Smith also accomplished the feat at New Mexico on Jan. 23 with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Scoring for the Rams
Freshman G Dorian Green, junior F Andy Ogide and junior F Travis Franklin rank 1-2-3 for the Rams in terms of scoring through 26 games this season. Green (12.4 ppg.) has scored in double figures in 17 of his first 26 collegiate contests as a true freshman, while Franklin (10.7 ppg.) has reached double-figure scoring in three of his last six games. Ogide (11.4 ppg.) has led CSU in scoring in nine games this season.
Entering Tuesday’s game vs. vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico, Green ranks eighth in the MWC in scoring, and second among freshmen (Kawhi Leonard, 12.7 ppg.). Ogide is 14th and Franklin is 20th.
Putting it on the line
CSU has become one of the top teams in the Mountain West Conference when it comes to getting to the free throw line this season. Entering Tuesday’s contest vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico, CSU is averaging 25.7 free throw attempts per game as a team. This ranks third in the MWC behind Wyoming (29.1 per game) and UNM (26.6 per game).
This season, the Rams are 11-2 when attempting more free-throws than an opponent. The Rams are 13-1 when making more free-throws than an opponent.
McFarland climbing the three-point charts
For his career at Colorado State, junior F Andre McFarland has hit 125 three-pointers, and has surpassed Ryan Yoder (1991-94) for 10th place on CSU’s all-time list. McFarland enters Tuesday’s game vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico one shy of John Rakiecki (2002-05) on the list. McFarland’s career three-point percentage of .422 is currently ninth, just behind David Turcotte (.426), in the Rams’ record book.
Nigon heating up
Junior Adam Nigon entered the season averaging 2.87 points per contest through two seasons. This year, the guard is averaging 8.0 points. Nigon is shooting 39.5 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range. During a five-game stretch from Nov. 29 to Dec. 12, he averaged 11.6 points, including a career-high 17 against Montana, helping the Rams to a 4-1 record during that stretch.
Entering Tuesday’s game vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico, Nigon has hit a three pointer in 13 consecutive games, the longest active streak among players on the CSU roster, and the longest streak of his career in a Rams’ uniform.
Seeing double
Junior F Travis Franklin recorded his second career double-double performance in the Rams’ victory over rival Colorado (Dec. 10). Franklin tallied 22 points, his second 20-point effort of the season, and capped off the double-double performance with 10 rebounds to help CSU to the 77-62 victory. Franklin shot 7-for-9 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, while adding a block and two steals against the Buffs. Franklin also recorded a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) nine days earlier in the Rams’ 70-63 loss at Northern Colorado (Dec.1).
Seeing double, part two
Freshman F Greg Smith recorded his first career double-double on Dec. 20 in the Rams’ victory over Northern Arizona. Smith, playing in just the seventh game of his career at CSU, tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Rams to the 64-56 victory.
Seeing double, part three
Senior F Andy Ogide became the third player this season to record a double-double for the Rams, joining classmate Travis Franklin and freshman Greg Smith. Ogide recorded 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the Rams 63-57 victory over TCU on Jan. 27. It marked Ogide’s fifth career double-double, but his first since Jan. 17, 2009 at Utah (19 points, 10 rebounds). Ogide then notched his second double-double of the season vs. Wyoming, leading the Rams to an 80-64 victory at Moby Arena on Feb. 6. The Rams are 4-2 all-time when Ogide records a double-double.
600 and counting
Junior Andy Ogide eclipsed the 600-point mark for his career at CSU in Saturday’s game at UNLV, reaching that mark in 56 games at CSU. Ogide now has 602 career points to date, and will return next season with an opportunity to become the 18th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Classmate Andre McFarland is also on pace to reach 1,000 points for his career and is the Rams’ active career scoring leader with 644 points in 82 games at CSU.
Draining the three
Colorado State shot lights out from long range against Wyoming on Feb. 6, connecting on 10-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc, and tying for a team season high in three-pointers made. The .667 shooting percentage from downtown tied for third best in school history, last done vs. Colorado in 2007.
Colorado State ranks among the top schools in the Mountain West in terms of three-point shooting percentage this season. The Rams are shooting 35.0 percent from long range, which ranks third in the league behind nationally ranked programs from BYU (.418) and New Mexico (.378).
Balanced rebounding attack
Despite only having seven 10-plus rebounding efforts this season, the Rams have three players - Andy Ogide, Travis Franklin and Pierce Hornung - ranked among the top rebounders in the MWC: Ogide (6.2), fifth; Franklin (5.3), tenth; and Hornung (4.5), who ranks just outside of the top 20.
As a team, Colorado State ranks fourth in the MWC pulling down 35.5 boards per game. The Rams’ are outrebounding opponents by 3.2 per game, the fourth-highest rebounding margin in the league (SDSU, +7.5; BYU, +5.9; and New Mexico, +5.4).
Green means go
Entering Tuesday’s contest vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico, freshman G Dorian Green, the Rams leading scorer at 12.4 points per game, has reached double-digits scoring in a team-leading 17 games this season. His scoring average ranks eighth overall in the MWC and second among freshmen (Kawhi Leonard, 12.7 ppg.).
Utah freshman Marshall Henderson (12.4 ppg.), and BYU’s Tyler Haws (11.8 ppg.) rank 9th and 12th, respectively, in the MWC in scoring, and are the only other freshmen to appear in the top 20.
If I can be frank
Junior F Travis Franklin has started 25 of CSU’s 26 contests this season; he came off the bench against DU (Dec. 5). Franklin has left his mark at both ends of the court for the Rams. The Baton Rouge, La., native ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.3 rebounds per game) and third in scoring (10.7 points per game), while leading the team in offensive rebounds (56), and free-throw attempts (204). He enters Tuesday’s game vs. No. 10/12 New Mexico ranking in the MWC in a number of categories, including 20th in scoring, 10th in rebounding and seventh in offensive rebounding (2.2 per game).
Freshmen strong in debuts
Freshmen Dorian Green and Pierce Hornung impressed in their first weekend of action at the BTI Tip-off tournament (Nov. 13-15). Green started all three games for the Rams at point guard and wasted no time making his mark, with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the Rams’ opening game vs. UC Davis. He earned all-tourney honors after averaging 12 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Hornung looked sharp, pulling down two rebounds, and recording four assists and three steals in 23 minutes in his first collegiate game against the Aggies. He added a pair of blocks in the Rams’ win over Winston-Salem State, and closed the weekend with six rebounds, two assists and one steal against the Oregon Ducks.
Greg Smith, who saw his first action in the Rams’ fifth game of the season, was also impressive in his debut performance, filling up the stat sheet with 10 points, six rebounds three steals, two assists and two blocks.
Cleared for takeoff
After announcing Nov. 13 his plans to red shirt freshman Greg Smith for the 2009-10 season, Head Coach Tim Miles removed that distinction from Smith prior to the Rams’ home opener vs. Mayville State. Smith, a 6-6 forward from Ralston (Neb.) High School, went on to make his debut against the Comets, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks in 16 minutes of action for the Rams.
In the red
Head Coach Tim Miles announced Nov. 13 his plans to red shirt freshman C Trevor Williams. Williams, a 7-0 center from Denver (Colo.) Lutheran High School, will benefit from a year of additional work with Miles and his staff, before hitting the court for the Rams in 2010-11.
