Colorado State University Athletics
Game Notes: Rams finish 2007 with Western State
12/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME NO. 13 COLORADO STATE (5-7/0-0) vs. Western State (5-5/3-0) Saturday, dec. 29, 2007 | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena| 7 p.m. MT
THE MATCHUP Colorado State plays the final game of the year against Western State. The Rams have played nine of the season's 12 games away from home this season.
Look at the Rams The Rams have struggled recently and are currently on a four-game losing streak. CSU is led in scoring by Marcus Walker who is averaging 15.3 points per game and has made a team-high 19 three-pointers this season. Right behind Walker is Willis Gardner averaging 14.0 points per game, sinking 18 shots from beyond the arc. Freshman Andre McFarland has the best three-point percentage on the team at 58.8 percent including 6-of-8 in the last two games. Stuart Creason averages 12.2 points per game and shoots a team-best 58.2 percent.
About Western State Despite a 5-5 overall record, Western State is 3-0 in conference action and has a pair of road wins this season. Carleton Goggins is the only player for the Mountaineers to average double-figure scoring this season at 13.2 points per game. Goggins has started eight games for Western State. No player for the Mountaineers this season has earned 10 starts. Matt Pennetti averages 5.7 rebounds per game and has played and started in nine games this season but did not play in Western State's last game vs. Regis. Steven Hudson is second on the team averaging 9.6 points per game.
Series with Western State The Rams and Western State have not faced off since the 1941-42 season when CSU fell by one point, 30-29. CSU won three straight from 1940-1942 prior to the loss in 1942. The series has been dormant since that year and is the longest gap between games in a series with any opponent the Rams will face this season.
Colorado State vs. Colorado Richard Roby finished with 18 points and had a crucial rebound and assist late in the game to help the Colorado Buffaloes hold off Colorado State for a 73-70 win Dec. 22. It was the Buffaloes' first win at Moby Arena in four years, snapping the Rams' 24-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents. Colorado (6-5) had been idle for the previous10 days, but showed no signs of sluggishness, leading by as many as 12 points in the first half. However, the Rams (5-7) rallied back to take a 70-68 lead with 1:15 left on Willis Gardner's 3-pointer. The Buffaloes reset their offense and with 31.3 seconds remaining, Roby found a wide-open Marcus King-Stockton under the basket for an easy layup, giving Colorado a 71-70 lead. Gardner's off-balance 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell short of the rim. Marcus Walker led CSU with 17 points and was joined in double figures by Gardner (13) and Stuart Creason (14).
YOUTHFUL OFFENSE This season the Rams field their youngest squad in the last 30 years and the freshmen have really come through. The five CSU freshmen are averaging a combined 18.5 points per game with Josh Simmons and Andre McFarland assuming starting roles.
DOUBLE DIGITS Marcus Walker, Stuart Creason and Willis Gardner each average double figures for the season in scoring. The Rams' leading scorer has come from the trio in every game this season. Together they account for 64.8 percent of CSU's total points.
The 700 club Willis Gardner, Marcus Walker and Andre McFarland each are shooting at least .700 from the free-throw line this season. Gardner leads the way shooting .889 (32-36) and hit 17 consecutive shots before his misses at North Dakota State, Dec. 15.
Gardnering some Attention Willis Gardner leads the team in free-throw percentage, dishes out a team-high 3.6 assists per game, ranks second on the team with 4.3 rebounds a game and leads the team averaging 34.6 minutes per game.
Career night Andre McFarland and Jesse Woodard finished their first semester in college with a huge night on the court at Nevada, Dec. 19. McFarland hit four shots from beyond the arc on his way to a career-high 17 points. Woodard, who is primarily a defensive spark for the Rams, showed his stuff with a career-high nine points on the same night.
POINTS ON THE BOARD Marcus Walker had CSU's best scoring outing in more than 30 years as he scored 43 points against Tennessee State Nov. 17 at the BP Top of the World Classic. Walker shot the lights out hitting on 15-of-18 from the field, 83.3 percent.
IRON MAN GARDNER Gardner became the first player since Micheal Morris on Nov. 19, 2005, to play the full minutes in a game on Nov. 9 at Montana. He is the first Ram in two decades to play all 40 minutes in his Colorado State debut. He also played 40 minutes against North Dakota State. Gardner is averaging 34.6 minutes a game this season, fourth in the Mountain West.
ALL-TIME MOBY RECORD Colorado State holds an all-time record of 427-170 (.715) in Moby Arena.
BROKEN HOME WIN STREAK Colorado State had won 24 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents, a streak which ranked seventh nationally, before falling to Colorado Dec. 22.
Championship Colorado State won its first Top of the World Classic championship in Fairbanks, Alaska, Nov. 18. Stuart Creason was named the tournament MVP and Marcus Walker, who set the tournament record for most points in a game with 43 against TSU, joined him on the squad.