It’s always raining in Fort Collins. Raining 3s, that is.
For the Boise State Broncos, the hoop must have looked the size of Horsetooth Reservoir; they hit 53.1 percent and made 18 from downtown, seeming to win the game on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer in overtime. Nope, it took too long to leave James Webb’s hands.
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To double overtime we went, with Antwan Scott being fouled off the tip and making both free throws for the two-point lead. Then Fred Richardson nailed a 3-pointer from the corner and CSU was up 89-84 with 3:40 to go in double OT. John Gillon then hit a three and followed it with a layup for the 93-84 advantage.
All night, while the 3-pointer favored Boise, their misses in overtime coupled with Colorado State’s makes turned into a 97-93 Rams win.
Colorado State controlled the contest from the opening tip, jumping out to a 10-7 lead. Their 7-2 run after that was stared by a 3-pointer by Emmaunel Omogbo for the 17-9 lead with 11:48 until halftime. Boise went on a run of their own, 11-4 led by Anthony Drmic hitting a 3-pointer and driving the hoop for a layup, and CSU led 21-20. John Gillon then slipped through two Boise State players and dished it to Kimani Jackson for a dunk and Prentiss Nixon drained a 3-pointer for the 27-21 lead with 6:40 to the break. But the Broncos kept on bucking, taking the 31-29 advantage on Montigo Alford’s third 3-pointer of the game. At halftime, Colorado State led 36-34 after Nixon’s second made shot from downtown.
Boise stormed to a 46-40 lead in the second half, though, led by the hot shooting of Alford. Those stalwart Rams kept fighting, even when the Broncos made 3 after 3. When Nixon passed it inside to Tiel Daniels and the forward laid it home, it tied the game at 49-49 with 12:19 left in regulation. With 7:51 to go, Boise was ahead 56-54. Later in the contest, with Colorado State up 62-61, Joe De Ciman and Alford exchanged 3-pointers and Tiel Daniels tied it up inside with a layup. 64-64 with 3:47 to go in regulation. It was all tied up at 66-66, then Boise took the four-point lead with only 1:30 to go. John Gillon made one free throw and then a deep 3-pointer to tie it up at 72-72. The Rams had a chance to win in regulation, but it was unsuccessful.
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In overtime, Alford banked home a 3-pointer and an off-the-ball foul on Joe De Ciman turned into a four-point lead by Boise when Drmic made 1-2 from the line. Antwan Scott answered with a timely 3-pointer and the Rams trailed by one with 2:26 in overtime. Finally, after a miss an a long rebound, Gillon grabbed it and drove in for the layup and one-point lead. Then, after a monstrous rebound by Tiel Daniels, Scott was fouled but went 1-2 to lead 84-82. Boise tied the game when Mikey Thompson made two free throws and then seemingly won the game with a prayer shot by Webb, a three with only .8 seconds left on the clock. After many minutes of review, the shot took too long and was called no good.
STAR OF THE GAME
John Gillon’s huge 3-pointer, great layup and clutch free throws in double overtime made him the play of the game. He finished with 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
PLAY OF THE GAME
John Gillon’s splitting of two Boise State players and then his dime to Kimani Jackson for a dunk was the play of the game. It was smooth, sweet, a superb play. It ended the Broncos’ 12-5 run and gave the Rams some momentum mid-way through the first half.
Later, Gillon’s big-time 3-pointer in double overtime was the play of the game.
TURNING POINT
The turning point came in the second overtime. Colorado State took the momentum from the opening tip and then refused to relinquish it. After the buzzer-beater was deemed a miss, Colorado State wasn’t going to lose.
BY THE NUMBERS
Montigo Alford tied his career-high with 14 points in the first half alone. Then he set a new career-high with 25 in the game, going 7-11 from downtown.
Colorado State controlled almost the entire first half, leading for 17:29 of 20 minutes. In the second half and overtimes, it was a much closer game.
The Rams started slowly from downtown, at 5-14 in the first half (35.7 percent) while Boise made 8-12 (75 percent). In the second half, somehow Colorado State was even worse, at 6-17 and 11-31 (35.5) in the game. Boise cooled off a bit, making 9-20 but still made 17-32 (53.1 percent) in the contest.
Attendance: 3,067
QUOTE OF THE GAME
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LASTING IMPACT
This was a much-needed win for the Rams who now head to UNLV.
WHAT’S NEXT
Colorado State (14-10, 6-5 MW) heads to Las Vegas to play the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (13-11, 4-7 MW) on Saturday. That game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. MT tip and will be televised on ESPNU.
