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Colorado State found a way to survive poor field goal shooting in the second half to survive and earn a 66-58 win over visiting Texas State, Dec. 17. Snapping a two-game skid, the Rams improved to 5-6 overall with the Bobcats dropping to an identical 5-6 mark.
The Rams built an 11-point halftime margin but struggled to make it stick in the second half due to an inability to make shots from the floor. Texas State also had its challenges in making shots as CSU held the visitors to a season-low point total for an opposing team and the second-lowest field goal percentage. The Bobcats kept chipping away at the margin, getting it down to a single possession on two occasions, the last coming at 61-58 with 2:29 to play in the game. However, the hosts had the answer on a pair of free throws by junior guard Prentiss Nixon and then a three-pointer by redshirt-sophomore guard Anthony Bonner in the final minute that sealed the deal.
The opening 20 minutes saw five ties and six lead changes, as the two teams saw their first action after a week of final exams. Texas State saw its last lead of the game at 24-23 with 6:52 remaining in the first half. From there, CSU took the lead for good on a layup by senior forward Che Bob and outscored the Bobcats 19-7 the rest of the way to enter the locker room at half with a 42-31 lead on the strength of 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field.
For the contest, Colorado State finished at 40.9 percent (18-of-44) from the floor, also going 35.3 percent (6-of-17) behind the three-point line. Texas State was limited to 37.8 percent (17-of-45) from the field and 26.1 percent (6-of-23) behind the arc. The Rams were stellar at the charity stripe, connecting on 80.0 percent (24-of-30), while the Bobcats were just 69.2 percent (18-of-26). Texas State held a slim 32-30 advantage on the boards.
Bonner led the Rams with a career-high tying 17 points on the afternoon, going 5-of-7 from the field, 4-of-5 beyond the arc and 3-of-4 at the free throw line. He also added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in a career-high 33 minutes of play. Nixon finished with 15 points, going a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line and chipping in five rebounds. Nijal Pearson led the Bobcats with 14 points, while Alex Peacock tallied 13.
The Rams overcame 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) on field goal attempts in the second half by connecting on 17-of-21 free throw attempts (81.0 percent) in the final 20 minutes to come away with the win.
Colorado State is back on the court quickly with the second of three consecutive home games to conclude non-conference play, hosting Arkansas-Fort Smith, Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. MT.
