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CSU Moves To 5-0 With 77-67 Win Over Auburn Smith posts third-straight double-double in victory.
Nov. 28, 2005
Colorado State University's men's basketball team moved to 5-0 on the season for the first time in six seasons by beating visiting Auburn, 77-67 Monday night in Moby Arena. "Nobody thinks they are going to be 5-0 out of the gate," said Rams' coach Dale Layer, who joins only four other coaches in school history with at least 75 wins at the school. "We've had a pretty tough schedule. I'm thrilled, yet there's a lot about our team we need to shore up." The Rams shored up enough things Monday night to beat the SEC Tigers in a hard-fought game that featured six ties and six lead changes. After Auburn's Ronnie LeMelle tied the game at 38 just 30 seconds into the second half, Colorado State used a 6-0 run to lead, 44-38, with 18 minutes to play in the game. Center Stuart Creason's layin with 12 minutes, eight seconds to play gave the Rams their biggest lead of the night, 12 points, 56-44. But Auburn would close to within three, 68-65, with just over two minutes to play on Quantez Robertson's three-pointer. Colorado State put the game away by outscoring the Tigers, 9-2, the rest of the way, and holding Auburn scoreless t he final one minutes, 43 seconds of the game. Forward Jason Smith became the first CSU player in 35 seasons to have three consecutive double figure games in scoring and rebounding. he finished with a game-best 21 points and added 11 rebounds. Creason, who missed the first three games of the year while recovering from a foot injury, finished with a career-most 18 points, while Harrison finished with 12 points.
"Stuart has been chomping at the bit for a while," said Layer. "He gives us a whole new dimension." Swingman Micheal Morris earned praise from Layer for his floor game. Morris and his younger brother Sean's father, Chris, was an All-American at Auburn in the 1980's. Playing against his dad's alma mater, Micheal Morris had a career-best 13 rebounds along with six points, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. "Micheal Morris played a terrific basketball game in many, many ways," said Layer. "He calmed us down, and made some post feeds." Smith put the Rams on the board first with a layin, but Auburn scored seven of the next nine points to lead, 7-4. The teams traded five more leads before Smith's layin with under two minutes to go in the half put Colorado State ahead for good, 36-34. CSU lead by two, 38-36 at intermission. Having played five games in 11 days, the Rams now take a break before returning to action Saturday, Dec. 3. The Rams play host to IUPUI at 3 p.m. in Moby Arena. The time has been changed to accommodate the NCAA Volleyball Tournament match that night at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the game are available by calling 1-800-491-RAMS, or online at CSURAMS.com. Tickets are also available at any King Soopers and City Market grocery store locations throughout the state of Colorado. |
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