Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Missouri State
Men's basketball recap: Avila, Gillon lead Rams past Bears
11/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Colorado State senior forward J.J. Avila posted a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore guard John Gillon added 20 points of his own, to lead the Colorado State men's basketball team (4-0) past Missouri State (2-2) in a late-night matchup in the first round of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout at the Alaska Airlines Center.
With the win, the Rams advance to the second round of the winner's bracket on Friday against Pacific (3-2). The Tigers toppled host Alaska Anchorage 71-62, prior to the Rams' tipoff vs. Missouri State. Friday's game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. AT/7:30 p.m. MT with a tape-delay broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The Rams controlled the game throughout, never trailing and building a double-digit first-half advantage thanks to a 13-2 run, which included seven points off the bench by Gillon. The run pushed the Rams lead from 7-5 at the 14:33 mark to 20-7 with 8:17 to play in the half. After a 9-0 run by the Bears, playing without an injured Marcus Marshall, the nation's leading scorer at 26.0 points per game, cut the Rams' advantage to 20-16, the Rams closed the half on a 9-3 run to hold a double-digit lead at halftime, 29-19.
Colorado State once again held off Missouri State early in the second half. The Bears cut CSU's lead to five points three times in the first 7:10 of the second period, but the Rams answered the last time with a 7-0 run, which included a five points by Avila, and a pair of free throws by Stanton Kidd, to take a 47-35 edge with 10:50 to play in the game.
The CSU lead ballooned to as many as 20, as the Rams sealed the victory from the free-throw line to counteract a tough-shooting night. Both the Rams (.377) and Bears (.375) shot below 40 percent for the game, but the Rams hit 28-of-33 attempts from the free-throw line, including 18-for-21 in the closing stanza, to come away with the 15-point victory.
Junior guard Joe De Ciman joined Avila and Gillon in double-figures scoring with 10 points for the Rams. Missouri State was led by 16 points from guard Dorrian Williams. Tyler McCullough (12 points) and Shawn Roundtree (10) also reached double-figures scoring off the Bears' bench.
With the win, the Rams improved to 4-0 to open the season for the 16th time in program history, and the second time in three seasons under head coach Larry Eustachy (2012-13; 6-0).
Avila - named the GCI Player of the game - posted his fourth double-double as a Ram, and the 13th 20-point game of his time at CSU. Gillon's 20-point outburst eclipsed his 11-point effort in the opener vs. Montana, to mark a best as a Ram. It is his first 20-point game since March of 2013 vs. Arkansas State as a true freshman at Arkansas-Little Rock.
The Rams return to the court on Friday vs. Pacific, with the winner advancing to the tournament championship game, slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. AT/9:30 p.m. MT.
