Colorado State University Athletics
Bears top CSU men, 72-59, in physical contest
12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2007
GREELEY, Colo. - For the first 34 minutes Saturday night, Colorado State and Northern Colorado battled like they were Duke and North Carolina.
But the Bears held the Rams to just two points over the last six-and-a-half minutes and pulled away to a 72-59 win, their first over Colorado State since 1986.
"They just out-toughed us on the boards," said CSU Head Coach Tim Miles, who said he wanted to step up the intensity of the Bears-Rams rivalry. The schools are less than 45 minutes apart.
Miles got his wish. Before a capacity crowd at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, each team played with the type of passion fans would see in a postseason tournament. That passion was most evident in the game's physical nature, especially beneath the basket.
And their work on the boards gave the Bears a significant advantage. UNC outrebounded CSU 43-25 overall, and 19-11 on the offensive glass. Bears guard Robert Palacios led the way with 14, to go along with 12 points. Jabril Banks led five UNC players in double-figures with 17 points.
The Bears cashed in their offensive rebounds to outscore the Rams 20-3 in second-chance points. UNC's bench scorers also had a 20-5 advantage.
"That was the difference," Miles said. "We need to score in those situations. Our margin for error isn't that great."
The in-state rivals combined for 13 ties and 14 lead changes, but when the Bears took their final lead, they did it with an 11-2 run, en route to their first win over CSU since 1986.
The Rams got 17 from Marcus Walker, 16 from Willis Gardner and 14 from Stuart Creason. Many of Walker's points came in the first half, when he hit five three-pointers to keep CSU within one, 32-31, at intermission.
The Rams had plenty of esteem for UNC before the game, and even more after.
"I commend them and Coach Tad Boyle," Miles said. "They were tenacious tonight. We treat them with as much respect as Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado and Denver."
CSU gets its shot at Denver Wednesday. The Rams and Pioneers tip off at 6 p.m. at Moby Arena. Like Saturday at UNC, the Rams expect to get the best from DU, and other teams on their December schedule.
"Tonight isn't the last time we're going to go through this," Miles said. "I promise you, Minnesota is waiting for us. North Dakota State is waiting for us. It's baptism by fire for us."