Nov. 28, 2009

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Game 6:  Colorado State vs. San Francisco
Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 | 2 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena (8,745)

Up next
The Colorado State men's basketball continues a stretch of seven consecutive games played in Colorado, hosting the San Francisco Dons on Sunday afternoon at Moby Arena. 

Colorado State (3-2) is coming off of a 79-42 victory over Mayville State in its home opener, and is looking for it's second consecutive 2-0 start at home under Tim Miles. 

The Dons, members of the West Coast Conference, enter Sunday's matchup with an overall record of 2-3, and are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. 

Tipoff between the Rams and the Dons is set for 2 p.m. MT at Moby Arena (8,745).  Live statistics are available by clicking the "GameTracker" logo on the men's basketball "Schedule/Results" page on CSURams.com. 

Fans can also listen to the action live on the Colorado State Sports Network.  Brian Roth will call all the action courtside.  The game will be carried on flagship KLZ (560 AM) in Denver and on KCOL (600 AM), locally. Rams fans worldwide can listen to the action live streaming on CSURams.com/allaccess.

Tickets are available for purchase at the Colorado State Athletics ticket office at the McGraw Athletic Center.  Fans can also purchase tickets by calling 800/491-Rams, or online at www.CSURams.com. 

Since 1902
The 2009-10 season marks the 106th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program.  The Rams are 1,077-1,131 (.488) in 2,208 games all-time, entering Sunday's matchup vs. San Francisco. 

Coors Light Coaches' Show debuts
The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show debuts Monday at 7 p.m. MT, live from the Stonehouse Grille in Old Town Fort Collins.  Monday's broadcast is the first of 11 Live Shows that will air live the Colorado State Sports Network's Flagship, KLZ (560 AM), between now and March 1.

About San Francisco
San Francisco (2-3) opened the season with back-to-back victories over Cal Poly (73-62) and Dominican (92-66), but is in the midst of a three-game slide that has seen the Dons fall twice on the road vs. Arizona State (104-65) and UC Santa Barbara (76-65), and once at home against Montana State (70-66). 

The Dons are led by senior F Dior Lowhorn, a 2010 preseason Mid-Major All-America selection.  Last season, Lowhorn led the WCC in scoring, pouring in 20.1 points per contest.  He enters Sunday's contest as the team's top scorer and rebounder, averaging 20.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. 

Sophomore G Kwame Vaughn ranks behind Lowhorn, averaging nearly 16 points per game to start the season.  Senior point guard Dontae Bryant leads the team in assists (3.2 per game) and steals (1.4 per game).

As a team, the Dons are averaging 72.2 points per game, but are allowing opponents to score an average of 75.6 points per contest. 

Head Coach Rex Walters, a former collegiate standout for the Kansas Jayhawks, and a seven-year NBA veteran, has amassed an overall record of 44-55 in four season as a Division I head coach.  Walters, now in his second season at USF, has led the Dons to a 13-22 mark. 

Series vs. San Francisco
Sunday's contest marks the fourth in the series between the Dons and the Rams.  Colorado State is 0-3 all-time vs. USF, but all three contests have been played on the road. 

Last time vs. San Francisco
Exactly one year ago the day, Colorado State lost a heartbreaker to San Francisco at War Memorial Gym. 

After falling behind 36-28 at halftime, the Rams rallied and took a 43-42 lead with 14:30 remaining in the contest.  With the game tied, 63-63, USF's Kwame Vaughn hit a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining in the game to lift the Dons.  Jesse Carr's attempt from the lane as time expired bounced out and the Rams fell to 3-3 early in the season. 

Senior G Marcus Walker led all players with 22 points, while then-sophomores Andy Ogide and Andre McFarland each chipped in with 14 points.  Ogide also notched nine rebounds and three steals.  McFarland hit 4-of-7 from three-point range in the contest. 

Dior Lowhorn, who return's as the Don's leading scorer and rebounder, paced USF with 16 points and nine rebounds in the contest.  Returners Blake Wallace (15), Angelo Caloiaro (14), and Vaughn (11), all finished in double-figures for USF, who improved to 5-1 with the victory. 
 
A quick look at the Rams
Colorado State returns to the court in 2009-10 with 10 letterwinners, including three starters - Andy Ogide, Andre McFarland and Jesse Carr - from last season's team that posted an overall record of 9-22 (4-12 MWC) and finished eighth in the MWC standings.

Ogide, a junior forward, is the Rams' leading returner in both scoring (10.2 ppg.) and rebounding (5.8 rpg.).  McFarland returns as one of the top three-point threats in the Mountain West Conference.  In 2008-09 McFarland connected on 55 treys and a 42.3 percent clip, and averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.  Carr started 18 games as a true freshman in 2008-09, recording 8.8 points and 2.9 assists per game at the point guard position before missing the final six games of the year with a groin injury.    

Other key returners include senior guard Harvey Perry, who averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and junior forward Travis Franklin, who averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 boards.  Junior guard Adam Nigon, a former walk-on, returns after averaging 2.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest.  Senior walk-on Arin Dunn, who saw significant playing time in the second half of the season, is back to bolster the Rams' back court.  Mame Bocar Ba, saw action in 22 games (four starts) a season ago, when he recorded 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. 

The team added seven newcomers into the mix.  Two freshmen - Pierce Hornung (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley High School), and  Dorian Green (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence High School) - will make an immediate impact along with junior college addition Johnny Del Bene, a guard from San Diego Mesa College, and transfer Travis Busch, a senior forward from the University of Minnesota who is pursuing his master's degree at CSU and was granted a waiver by the NCAA to become immediately eligible. 

Wes Eikmeier, a sophomore guard from Fremont, Neb., will sit out the 2009-10 season after transferring from Iowa State University, as will freshmen Trevor Williams (Denver, Colo./Lutheran High School), and Greg Smith (Omaha, Neb./Ralston High School), who Coach Miles announced he plans to redshirt this season.

Key losses for the Rams include departed senior guards Marcus Walker and Willis Gardner.  Walker ranked as the Rams' top scorer in each of the previous two seasons and was named to the 2007-08 all-MWC second team and MWC Newcomer of the Year, and 2008-09 all-MWC third team.  Despite playing just two seasons, Walker reached 15th on CSU's all-time scoring list (1,009 points).  Gardner provided toughness and leadership and was a top performer on the court, starting 53 of 57 career games for the Rams and averaging 9.6 points and 2.5 assists per game.

The Rams opened the season with a 2-1 showing at the BTI Tip-off tournament, defeating UC Davis, 91-73, and Winston-Salem State, 57-40, before falling to Oregon, 68-55, in the tourney championship. 

The Rams then played their fourth consecutive road game to open the season at Indiana State in the inaugural Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge.  The Rams comeback effort fell just short, as the Sycamores held on for a 65-60 victory. 

The Rams are coming off of a 79-42 victory over the Mayville State Comets in their home-opener.  CSU has now won 29 consecutive home-openers at Moby Arena.

Rams hot in home openers
The Rams 79-42 win over Mayville State pushed the program's streak to 29 consecutive victories in home-opening contests at Moby Arena.  Under Head Coach Tim Miles, the Rams are now 3-0, having picked up home-opening victories over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (73-48) and Montana (85-55), in 2007-08 and 2008-09, respectively.  Colorado State's last home-opening loss came at the hands of Oklahoma State, a 69-64 setback on Dec. 8, 1980. All-time, CSU is 41-4 in home-opening games at Moby Arena, dating back to the program's first game in the venue, a 109-70 victory over New Mexico State on Jan. 24, 1966.   

There's no place like home
After opening the 2009-10 season with four straight on the road, Sunday's matchup vs. San Francisco is the second game of a stretch in which Colorado State plays seven consecutive games in Northern Colorado.  Six of those contests will be played in the friendly confines of Moby Arena, while the lone trip is a short ride to nearby Greeley, Colo., to face the UNC Bears (Dec. 1)  During this stretch, the Rams will also host in-state rivals Denver (Dec. 5), and Colorado (Dec. 10), as well as Montana (Dec. 12) and Northern Arizona (Dec. 20). 

Homecoming...finally
Tuesday's matchup vs. Mayville State marked the Rams' first home game of the 2009-10 season.  CSU began the year with four consecutive road games.  This marks the latest home opener for the Rams since 2007-08, Tim Miles' first season at CSU.  That year, the Rams began the season at Montana (Nov. 9), then traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, for three games in the BP Top of the World Classic (Nov. 15-18).  The Rams played their fifth straight road game at Stanford (Nov. 24), before finally playing their home opener, Nov. 28 against Arkansas Pine Bluff.  

Rams vs. non-conference foes
Entering Sunday's contest vs. San Francisco, CSU has posted a record of 90-53 (.629) against non-MWC opponents since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999.

Scoring for the Rams
Junior F Andy Ogide and freshman G Dorian Green ranked 1-2 for the Rams in terms of scoring through five games this season.   Ogide and Green are each coming off of double-digit scoring games against Mayville State. 

Entering Sunday's game, Ogide ranks ninth in the MWC, averaging 14.8 points per contest.  Green is 11th in the league, and tops among freshmen, averaging 14.2 points, while McFarland comes in at 17th on the list with a scoring average of 13.0 points per game. 

The Rams are one of only two teams (New Mexico) to have two players rank in the top 11 in the conference in scoring. 

Green means go
Entering Sunday's contest vs. San Francisco, freshman G Dorian Green has led Colorado State in scoring in each of the last two contests, tallying 18 points at Indiana State, and pouring in 17 more vs. Mayville State.  Through five games this season, Green is the only player to pace the Rams in scoring in back-to-back contests. 

Ogide crashing the glass
Junior F Andy Ogide has recorded at least six rebounds in each of Colorado State's first five games entering Sunday's contest vs. San Francisco. 

Del Bene debuts
Junior G Johnny Del Bene, a junior college addition from San Diego Mesa College, saw his first action in a Rams uniform on Tuesday vs. Mayville State.  Del Bene played six minutes, connecting on his only shot, and ensuring that every Ram who saw action in the game tallied points. 

Runnin' Rams?
Colorado State ran out of the gates, and ran opponent UC Davis out of the gym, in the team's 91-73 season-opening victory over the Aggies.  CSU's 91 points marked the team's highest scoring output in a regulation game under Head Coach Tim Miles, and the first time the team has eclipsed 90 points since a 90-78 home victory over BYU on Jan. 20, 2007. 
 
Seeing 20-20
Junior forwards Andy Ogide and Andre McFarland tallied 24 points and 20 points, respectively in Colorado State's season-opening victory over UC Davis (Nov. 13).  Sophomore Jesse Carr is the only other Ram to have recorded 20-plus points in a game at CSU.  Below is a listing of 20-point scoring games by current Rams: 

Jesse Carr 
Jan. 24, 2009 at Wyoming (21)
Andre McFarland 
Nov. 13, 2009 vs. UC Davis (20)
Nov. 24, 2008 vs. St. Martin's (23)
Andy Ogide 
Nov. 13, 2009 vs. UC Davis (24)
Nov. 26, 2008 vs. New Orleans (22)
Nov. 14, 2008 vs. Montana (20)

Long-range Rams
Entering Sunday's contest vs. San Francisco, Colorado State ranks second in the Mountain West Conference with a team shooting percentage of .398 (37-for-93) from three-point range, and nearly half of that production has come from junior F Andre McFarland. 

McFarland, is tied for first in the Mountain West Conference, averaging 3.0 three-pointers per game.  The Las Vegas, Nev., native has connected on a trey in 14 consecutive games dating back to the 2008-09 season.  McFarland also ranks second in the MWC, connecting on in terms of three-point shooting percentage, hitting 53.6 percent from long range.

For his career at Colorado State, McFarland has hit 110 three-pointers, just 10 shy of cracking the program's top-10 list.  David Turcotte (1984-88) currently holds the 10th spot with 120 career three-pointers.  McFarland's career three-point percentage of .415 currently ranks ninth, behind Turcotte, in the Rams' record book.  

Freshmen strong in debuts
Freshmen Dorian Green and Pierce Hornung impressed in their first weekend of action at the BTI Tip-off tournament (Nov. 13-15).  Green started all three games for the Rams at point guard and wasted no time making his mark, with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the Rams' opening game vs. UC Davis.  He earned all-tourney honors after averaging 12 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. 

Hornung looked sharp, pulling down two rebounds, and recording four assists and three steals in 23 minutes in his first collegiate game against the Aggies.  He added a pair of blocks in the Rams' win over Winston-Salem State, and closed the weekend with six rebounds, two assists and one steal against the Oregon Ducks. 

Greg Smith, who saw his first action in the Rams fifth game of the season, was also impressive in his debut performance, filling up the stat sheet with 10 points, six rebounds three steals, two assists and two blocks. 

The trio looks to make an assault on the CSU freshmen records throughout the season.  Entering Sunday's  game vs. San Francisco, Green is averaging 14.2 points per game, which would rank first all-time among freshmen at CSU, just ahead of former all-conference players Matt Nelson (14.0 ppg.) and Jason Smith (10.5 ppg.).  Hornung's rebounding average of 4.3 per contest sits just outside the top-five list behind Mark Jung who pulled down 4.3 boards per game as a freshman in 1978-79. 

If I can be frank
Junior F Travis Franklin, has started each of Colorado State's first five contests this season, leaving his mark at both ends of the court for the Rams.  The Baton Rouge, La., native ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rebounds per game) and fifth on the team in scoring (7.4 points per game), while leading the team in offensive rebounds (13), tying for the team lead with eight steals and ranking second on the team with 17 free-throw attempts.  He ranks in the top 10 in the MWC in a number of categories, including seventh in offensive rebounding (2.5 per game), tied for ninth in steals (1.6 per game).  He is also 15th in the MWC in total rebounding. 

Converting at the line
After hitting just 35-of-62 attempts (56.5 percent) from the free-throw line through two exhibition games, the Rams significantly improved their production at the stripe early this season.  At the BTI Tip-off tournament, CSU downed 47-of-67 attempts (70.1 percent) at McArthur Court.  The Rams then connected on 16-of-25 attempts (64 percent) against Indiana State.  As a team, the Rams struggled at the stripe vs. Mayville State, shooting just 50 percent (12-for-24).  Freshmen Dorian Green and Greg Smith, however, combined to go 8-of-9 from the stripe. 

Entering Sunday's game vs. San Francisco, Green has made six consecutive free throws and ranks fifth in the MWC with a free-throw percentage of .840 (21-for-25). 

Turn up the "D"
Colorado State leads the Mountain West Conference in scoring defense entering Sunday's game vs. San Francisco.  The Rams are holding opponents to just 57.6 points per game through the first five games of the season.  Colorado State also ranks first in the league, holding opponents to just 25.5 percent shooting from three-point range.  Overall, CSU's opponents are shooting just 37.3 percent from the field this season, which ranks third in the MWC, behind BYU (.362) and UNLV (.369). 

Finding his stroke
Junior G Adam Nigon, who entered the 2009-10 season with 11 career three-pointers in two seasons as a Ram, nearly doubled his career numbers in the opening weekend of the season at the BTI Tip-off tournament.  Nigon was impressive for the Rams, connecting on 6-of-13 (.462) attempts from beyond the arc. Nigon's six three-pointers matched the output from his entire sophomore campaign, and bested his freshman mark by one.  Entering Sunday's game vs. San Francisco, Nigon is shootong 35.3 percent (6-for-17) from long range. 

Career-high in season opener
Junior F Andy Ogide tallied a career-best 24 points in the Rams' season-opening victory over UC Davis. Junior G Adam Nigon also had a career day against the Aggies, tying his personal best with 11 points in the contest.  Nigon tied the mark again, just one day later, in CSU's victory over Winston-Salem State. 

Season openers under Miles
The Rams are 2-1 in season openers since Head Coach Tim Miles' came to Colorado State University.  The Rams opened Miles' first season with a tough 75-39 loss at Montana, a loss which CSU avenged, 85-55, at Moby Arena in the season opener of the 2008-09 season.  The Rams won their second consecutive season opener, putting away the UC Davis Aggies, 91-73, in the opening round of the BTI Tip-off tournament, Nov. 13 in Eugene, Ore. 

Tourney time
Dating back to the 2005-06 season, and including the Rams' 2-1 showing at this year's BTI Tip-off tournament in Eugene, Ore., Colorado State has been impressive in midseason tournaments. In the five seasons, the Rams have played in five championship games, winning twice. In 2006, the Rams capped a nine-game winning streak with a win over Chattanooga to claim the Dr. Pepper Classic Title. A year later, in Tim Miles' first season, Colorado State traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, defeating Oregon State, Tennessee State and Portland State to be crowned champions of the Top of the World Classic. Both in 2005 and 2008, the Rams finished as runners-up in the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Last year, before falling to Buffalo in the finals, Colorado State beat Vermont and Hawaii on its own court, the Rams' first road victory in nearly two years.  The Rams opened the 2009-10 season with a runner-up showing at the BTI Tip-off tournament, falling the championship game against host Oregon, 68-55.

Perry suspended
Senior G Harvey Perry has been suspended indefinitely, pending improvement of his academic performance.  Head Coach Tim Miles made the decision prior to the Rams' game vs. Mayville State on Nov. 24. 

"I felt that this move was necessary for Harvey to regain his focus on academics," said Miles.  "He is on track to graduate next semester, and that is something invaluable.  We will never lose sight of the bigger picture in our program.  While my staff and I are here to win games, more importantly, we are here to prepare these young men for life after basketball.  We will evaluate Harvey on a continual basis regarding his academics, and he will rejoin the team when he has reached a sufficient level of progress."

Cleared for takeoff
After announcing, Nov. 13, his plans to redshirt freshman Greg Smith for the 2009-10 season, Head Coach Tim Miles removed that distinction from Smith prior to the Rams' home opener vs. Mayville State.  Smith, a 6-6 forward from Ralston (Neb.) High School, went on to make his debut against the Comets, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks in 16 minutest of action for the Rams. 

In the red
Head Coach Tim Miles announced, Nov. 13, his plans to redshirt freshman C Trevor Williams.  Williams, a 7-0 center from Denver (Colo.) Lutheran High School, will benefit from a year of additional work with Miles and his staff, before hitting the court for the Rams in 2010-11.

Colorado talent
The 2009-10 Rams roster features five players - Mike Annese, Arin Dunn, Pierce Hornung, Michael Lebsack, Adam Nigon and Trevor Williams - from the state of Colorado.  You have to go back 28 seasons, all the way to 1981-82, to find a CSU basketball team that featured more local talent.  Six players from the 1981-82 squad listed Colorado as their home state.

Rams juniors among top MWC returners
Junior forward Andy Ogide's 2008-09 stats have landed him toward the top of several MWC categories among returning players.  As a sophomore in 2008-09, Ogide averaged 5.8 rebounds per game, fourth among MWC returners.  His .500 shooting is tied for third, while his 0.63 blocks per game are fifth. 

Classmates Andre McFarland and Travis Franklin also return after strong sophomore campaigns.  McFarland connected on 42.3 percent of his shots from three-point range last season, ranking among the best in the league, while Franklin led the Rams with 49 offensive rebounds a season ago, helping the Rams to finish second in the MWC in that category in 2008-09 with an average of 11.10 per contest. 

On pace for 1,000
Entering the 2009-10 season, junior forward Andre McFarland ranks as the only Colorado State player on pace to reach the 1,000-point milestone for his career.  McFarland - one of just two players (Adam Nigon) to have played in each of Head Coach Tim Miles' first two seasons at CSU - poured in 525 points as a full-time starter in each of his first two seasons in Fort Collins.  McFarland tallied 266 points (8.3 per game) in 31 starts as a true freshman in 2007-08.  Last season, he averaged 8.4 points per contest, pouring in 259 points as the only Rams player to start all 31 contests. 

Through five games this season, McFarland ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 11 points per contest, while shooting 54 percent (15-of-28) from three-point range. 

Marcus Walker, who completed his playing career at CSU in 2009, is the last Rams player to reach the 1,000-point milestone, tallying an impressive 1,009 points in just two seasons in Fort Collins.

All-tournament honors
Junior F Andy Ogide and freshman G Dorian Green were each selected to the all-tournament team at the BTI Tip-off tournament in Eugene, Ore. (Nov. 13-15).  Ogide and Green led the Rams to a 2-1 showing an a runner-up finish.  For the tournament, Ogide averaged a team-high16.3 points, and pulled down 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 62 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line.  Green was stellar in his debut in a Rams uniform, averaging 12.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.  Green notched five three-pointers for the weekend, and ranked first on the team, hitting nearly 85 percent from the free-throw line. 

BTI Tip-off All-Tournament Team
MVP - Tajuan Porter, Oregon
Teondre Williams, Oregon
Andy Ogide, Colorado State
Dorian Green, Colorado State
Joe Harden, UC Davis
Shelton Carter, Winston-Salem State

Next on the schedule
The Rams play their lone road contest in a seven-game stretch, traveling to nearby Greeley, Colo., to face the University of Northern Colorado Bears on Tuesday evening at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Bears, who are ranked No. 25 in the CollegeInsider.com mid-major top-25 poll, enter Tuesday's contest with an umblemished 6-0 mark.  Tuesday's game will mark the home-opener for the Bears who are coming off of a 70-63 victory at North Dakota on Nov. 27.