GAME NOTES: The Boise State Broncos try to avoid their first three-game slide of the season tonight, as they clash with the Colorado State Rams in Mountain West Conference action at Moby Arena in Fort Collins.
On Saturday afternoon, the Broncos played their first game as the newest member of the MWC, having come over from the Western Athletic Conference, and were bounced by Air Force at home in a 74-59 final. The setback was the third in four games for BSU and the first in 10 tests at home in 2011-12, as it snapped the team's 15-game home win streak dating back to last season.
As for the Rams, they were pitted against a spunky TCU group that managed to force the Saturday date in Fort Collins into two overtimes before CSU was able to grab the 95-89 win. The victory was the seventh straight for Colorado State in a league where every team already has double-digit wins overall.
With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Rams have won five of the previous seven matchups. The most recent contest took place in 2008 with BSU posting an 85-76 win at home.
Boise State made a total of just seven field goals in the first half against Air Force and then after the break the Broncos defense allowed the Falcons to knock down not only 56.0 percent from the floor but also 6-of-12 behind the three-point line, en route to the 15-point decision. Jeff Elorriaga accounted for 12 points, all of them stemming from his 4-of-6 showing beyond the arc, followed by Anthony Drmic and Westly Perryman who tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively. The 59 points by the Broncos fell well below their season average which now stands at 75.4 ppg. The same goes for how the defense performed as the 74 points allowed were considerably more than BSU has been accustomed to giving up, a number that now stands at 65.8 ppg. Drmic is the only player scoring in double figures on a regular basis for Boise State, hitting for 14.1 ppg thanks to his 40.4 percent accuracy behind the three- point line.
Colorado State shot a spectacular 72.7 percent from the field in the first half against TCU on Saturday, yet still the team had to go to double-overtime in order to secure the six-point win at home. Will Bell led five players in double figures with his 23 points, adding eight boards and four blocked shots, followed by Wes Eikmeier with 21 points, although the latter shot just 8-of-20 from the floor, compared to 9-of-14 for the former. Dorian Green contributed 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, Jesse Carr 12 points, six rebounds and five dishes and Pierce Hornung 11 points and six boards before fouling out. Eikmeier (17.4 ppg) and Green (13.8 ppg) have been the primary three- point threats for the Rams, combining to knock down 59 attempts which is more than half the team's 102 conversions through 16 games. Not only is Eikmeier the top scorer for the program, he is also one of the main contributors when it comes to passing the ball as well, sporting a team-high 43 assists already.
If the Falcons can get to Boise State on the home floor of the Broncos, there's good reason to think that the Rams can also turn the trick in their building tonight, as long as they can keep the game to just 40 minutes in length.
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