Recap: Rams fight through first half shooting woes, beat Air Force 87-73

Talk about a tale of two halves. It was the worst of shooting, followed by the best of shooting and a 87-73 win on Senior Day for Colorado State over rival Air Force, Saturday.

After jumping out to the 6-5 lead, the Rams couldn’t buy a bucket. They went through a scoring drought which was nearly 10 minutes long, shooting 1-19 from the floor until John Gillon finally nailed a 3-pointer to bring the game to 19-13 Air Force with 7:13 until halftime. Colorado State started making shots and started making it a game, pulling to within three on a made 3-pointer by J.D. Paige. And at halftime, the Rams trailed 25-22, making a terrible 21.4 percent from the floor.

Colorado State finally woke up in the second half; Emmanuel Omogbo scored nine straight points, Gillon nailed two technical free throws and then Prentiss Nixon drained a 3-pointer for the 38-37 lead. Then the Rams went off, with a 13-0 to take the commanding 12-point lead with 12 minutes to play. That eventually turned into a 23-2 run and a 15-point lead mid-way through the second half. From there, CSU coasted to a 87-73 win.

STAR OF THE GAME

John Gillon played well all day, scoring a game-high 22 points with seven assists and two rebounds.

Tiel Daniels was all over the defensive end of the floor, blocking four shots and snagging nine boards.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Daniels’ monstrous dunk late in the second half, an emphatic exclamation point on the victory.

TURNING POINT

When Emmanuel Omogbo went wild, scoring nine straight points early in the second half, and then Hayden Graham was called for a technical foul, it was the turning point the Rams needed. When Prentiss Nixon nailed a 3-pointer, it was a 7-0 run for CSU, who took the lead at 38-37 with 15:32 to go in regulation. It was their first lead since 6-5, nearly 22 minutes later.

BY THE NUMBERS

Colorado State shot 21.4 percent from the floor in the first half and scored merely 22 points, their worst half of the season. The second half was much, much better at 65.4 percent shooting and 65 points scored. Both teams finished shooting 43 percent each.

The Rams easily out-rebounded the Falcons 39-28.

CSU led on assists 20-12.

LASTING IMPACT

This win means the Rams will avoid their first losing season since 2008-09 (11-22 overall). Colorado State finished the year 16-15 (8-10 MW).

WHAT’S NEXT

Next up is the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. We’ll have to wait and see who the Rams will play. It could be Air Force.