Rams Take Down Montana State

Colorado State used a pair of 9-0 first half runs to break the game open and defeat Montana State University, 78-53, in Moby Arena Tuesday night.

The win is Colorado State's second in a row and runs the team's record to 5-2 entering a Saturday game at Purdue. Montana State falls to 1-5. Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind., begins at 10 a.m. MT and will be televised by ESPN+Plus. The game can be seen in the Fort Collins/Denver area on Altitude Sports.

"We got great effort from our perimeter players early," said Rams' coach Dale Layer. "They collapsed all over our posts."

Layer also praised his team's defense, which held MST to just 35 percent shooting from the field, and the Rams' rebounding. Colorado State held a 37-28 edge on the boards.

Tuesday, Colorado State erased a one-point, 5-4 deficit three minutes into the game with a 9-0 spurt. Four different players scored for the Rams, who took the lead for good with 16 minutes, 34 seconds remaining in the half on a pair of free throws by Matt Williams. Baskets by Stephen Verwers, Micheal Morris, and Dwight Boatner over the next one minute, 30 seconds pushed the lead to 13-7. MSU would come no closer than three points the rest of the way.

After MSU closed to three, 20-17, the Rams outscored the Bobcats 28-7 the rest of the half.

A 9-0 run over the final three minutes of the half gave the Rams a 48-28 intermission lead. Colorado State widened the lead to as many as 29 points before settling for the 25-point final margin.

Five players, led by guard Andrew Patterson's 12 points, scored in double figures. Verwers, starting for the second game in a row, had a career-most and game-best 11 rebounds.

Montana State had three players finish in double figures led by Casey Durham's 11 points.