Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
TCU
Rams rally to knock off TCU
2/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2009
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By John Manuszak
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. –The freshman led the way early and then the senior finished it off.
Freshman Jesse Carr scored 13 of his of 16 points in the first half and senior Marcus Walker tallied 16 of his game-high 20 in the second period, to lead Colorado State to a 71-65 win over TCU on Saturday night at Moby Arena.
Things did not look good for the Rams or the 2,707 fans in attendance early in the second half. A 15-4 run by TCU in the opening minutes of the second half gave the Horned Frogs (13-10, 4-5 MWC) a 42-33 lead with 14:56 remaining. However the Rams, opening up the second half of conference play, would not go away quietly.
Walker scored all seven of CSU’s points during a key 7-0 run to tie the game at 51 and the Rams would take over from there. Colorado State would grab the lead (60-58) on a Carr layup with 3:03 remaining and would not trail again.
“I thought we made good decisions and we played within ourselves,” said Head Coach Tim Miles. “We played good defensively and good in the transition. The kids played with the energy that we needed to tonight and that’s the trademark that I want for our program. If we continue to play like that, the wins will keep on coming.”
With the win, CSU upped its record to 8-15 overall and 3-6 in the Mountain West, and in the process, surpassed its win total from last season. It also marked the fourth time this season that the Rams have knocked off a team with a winning record.
Walker was dominant in the second half, tallying 16 points on 4-6 shooting, including two three-pointers, and 6-9 from the line. He also received some help from junior Harvey Perry who posted all 11 of his points in the second half and had several key plays for the Rams down the stretch.
“There’s going to be games where one person does better than the other, but it’s just about loving that person and knowing that it’s for the better of the team,” said Walker. “I think Jesse stepped up in the first half and then guys like Harvey had a lot of good hustle for us. It was a team effort.”
Carr, playing in front of nearly 30 fans from his hometown of Ainsworth, Neb., was the only consistent scoring threat for the Rams in the first half. He posted 13 points on 4-5 shooting and 5-6 at the line in the first period, while the rest of the Rams combined to shoot 4-16 from the floor.
“There were about 30 people from back home but it felt like 130. It’s always nice to have that support from back home, the small-town feeling. It felt like I was back at home playing in Ainsworth.”
Carr, now averaging over 14.0 points per game in his last five games, added two assists and tied his career high with three steals.
“Jesse is a player,” said Miles. “He’s a kid that knows how to play, he has great poise. I think he’s taken a step forward for us and shown a lot of leadership and the ability to make plays.”
One week after committing 20 turnovers in a home loss to San Diego State, the Rams only turned it over a season-low three times on the night. It marked the fewest turnovers in a Mountain West game this season.
The Horned Frogs were led by Kevin Langford who scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and Ronnie Moss, who added 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Rams will try to keep it going on Wednesday night when they travel to Provo, Utah for a showdown with the 17-5 BYU Cougars. Wednesday’s game is part of a five-day trip for the Rams which concludes Saturday in Las Vegas against UNLV.
“This road trip will be good for us,” said Miles. “I think our kids have the chance to go out, let their hair down and do something.”
