Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Utah
Strong Guard Play Lifts Rams Over Utah, 84-78
1/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2006
Final Stats | Quotes
Guards Cory Lewis and Sean Morris combined for 37 points and sparked a late-game surge to lead Colorado State University to an 84-78 win over visiting Utah in men's Mountain West Conference basketball action Saturday afternoon.
Playing before the largest home crowd of the season - 6,680 - Lewis and Morris helped CSU outscore Utah, 15-9 over the game's final six minutes, 11 seconds to record the team's first conference win of the year. CSU moves to 12-4, 1-2 in league play, while Utah fell to 8-7, 1-3.
Lewis finished with a career-most 19 points - tying Utah's Bryant Markson for game honors - including 11 in the second half. Morris came off the bench with 18 points, scoring nine in each half.
"Sean Morris was the difference in the first half, and Cory Lewis was absolutely phenomenal the second half. He's (Lewis) is our energy guy, our emotional leader," said rams' coach Dale Layer following the game.
Morris and Lewis both said following the game improved guard play was critical to the team's success against Utah.
"Our guard play has not been up to par," said Morris. "So Cory and I worked on that for this game."
Lewis agreed.
"Sean and I took it upon ourselves to play better than we have been. We hit the big shots today and played defense better than we have been," said Lewis.
After the teams traded two leads and were tied three times in the first five minutes of the game, Morris and Lewis keyed an 8-0 run that appeared to put CSU in control of the game. A three-pointer by Morris, Lewis' basket, and a three-pointer by Stephan Gilling gave CSU a 25-15 lead with 10 minutes, 20 seconds to play in the half.
CSU eventually led 48-40 at halftime lead. Late in the half, CSU used a 5-0 run to up the lead to 11, the team's largest of the game, before settling for an eight-point intermission lead.
Utah clawed back into the game by outscoring CSU, 15-7 during the first 6 minutes, 29 seconds of the second half to knot the game at 55 on a basket by Markson.
Utah continued the surge, and Chris Jackson's basket with nine minutes to play handed the Utes a one-point, 66-65 lead. Just 50 seconds later, Lewis hit a shot that put CSU ahead to stay, 67-66. After a tie at 69, the Rams went up by five on another Lewis basket, Stuart Creason's dunk, and a free throw by smith to lead, 74-69 with just more than four minutes to play.
Utah would closed the gap to two and had possession to tie or earn the lead with 51 seconds to play, 80-78, on Markson's jumper. But a basket by Smith with 26.4 seconds to play, and a pair of Micheal Morris free throws with just under 10 seconds remaining sealed the win, CSU's first over Utah since the 2003 season. CSU broke a five-game losing streak to the Utes overall, and a four-game home losing skid.
The game also marked the first time since the 1996 season the Rams have scored more than 80 points against Utah.
Colorado State now plays its next two games on the road, Wednesday night at UNLV, and TCU in Fort Worth Jan. 21, before returning home to face Border War rival Wyoming Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the team's upcoming home game with Wyoming are selling quickly. They remain available by calling 1-800-491-RAMS, or on line at CSURAMS.com. Tickets are also available at all King Soopers and City Market grocery store locations throughout the state of Colorado.
