Fort Collins, CO (Sports Network) - Greg Smith went 5-of-8 from the field to
score 18 points as the Colorado State Rams collected a 62-58 decision over the
Texas-El Paso Miners in a non-conference bout at Moby Arena.
Colton Iverson added 17 points for the Rams (12-2), who extended their home
winning streak to 21 in a row. Wes Eikmeier chipped in 12 points and Pierce
Hornung grabbed 10 boards.
Julian Washburn paced UTEP (6-6) with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-15
shooting from the floor. McKenzie Moore tallied 15 points off the bench before
fouling out and Jacques Streeter netted 12 points for the Miners, who had won
their previous three games.
Colorado State played well on both ends of the floor in the early stages of
the contest. It took a 29-19 lead into the break by draining 44.4 percent of
its field goal attempts and outscoring the visitors, 16-6, in the paint in the
first half. The Miners were limited to 5-of-23 shooting from the floor in the
opening 20 minutes.
UTEP heated up after halftime to sink 50 percent of its attempts from the
floor and rally back. The Miners produced a 10-1 run to cut their deficit to
just one point with 6:23 showing on the clock. Just under three minutes later
Washburn made a layup to give UTEP a 53-52 lead. Eikmeier drained a pair of
free throws on the Rams' ensuing possession to put the hosts back up, but
Moore answered with a driving layup. Then, Iverson made a jumper that put CSU
on top for good. Smith made a two key free throws with five seconds left to
seal the victory.
The Rams enjoyed a 37-30 edge in the rebounding battle.
GAME NOTES:
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