Fort Collins – Maybe it was Colorado State freshman forward Xavier Kilby wearing his lucky Afro for the first time since the Rams’ previous meeting with Texas Christian.
More likely, it was CSU’s return to the starting lineup and guard play that generated the team’s early-season success.
Whatever the cause, CSU stopped its five-game losing streak Tuesday night with an 82-66 rout of the Horned Frogs before 3,450 at Moby Arena.
“If we lost, it wouldn’t have been good at all for our team,” said Stephan Gilling, who came off CSU’s bench and contributed 14 points, including two 3-pointers near the end of the first half and the first dunk of his career in the second half.
The Rams (15-9, 5-7 Mountain West Conference) returned to the starting lineup of 7-footers Jason Smith and Stuart Creason and guards Cory Lewis, Tyler Smith and Tim Denson. Jason Smith sat to start the Rams’ past two games to avoid early foul trouble.
CSU hadn’t used the combination since Jan. 13.
“I thought the ball movement was the best it’s been in a month,” CSU coach Dale Layer said. “The guards played the best they have in quite some time.”
CSU had an 18-8 advantage in assists, providing proof.
Still, the Rams struggled until the 6-8 Kilby (11 points) came off the bench for a spark. Kilby, who usually wears his hair braided, said, “I thought with our losing streak I’d pull it back out, and look what happened.”
In stopping their losing streak, the Rams extended the long losing streak of TCU (10-14, 2-10) to 10 games.
After Layer threw down his jacket to draw his first technical foul of the season, TCU went ahead 28-21 before the Rams responded.
“It probably turned up the intensity,” Layer said.
CSU didn’t take its first lead of the game until Jason Smith, who finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, scored with 10:28 left before halftime. The Rams led 45-32 at halftime.
TCU coach Neil Dougherty didn’t know what else could go wrong in Colorado. The Horned Frogs canceled a Dec. 30 game at CU because of bad weather and their 72-39 loss at Air Force followed last month.
“When you deal with their two 7-footers,” Dougherty said of the Rams, “we thought we’d try a zone to stay out of foul trouble, and then we get in foul trouble on the offensive glass.”
TEXAS CHRISTIAN (10-14, 2-10 MWC)
Langford 5-15 5-8 15, Parker 1-4 0-0 2, Hackett 5-13 5-5 18, Owens 5-5 3-6 14, Dougherty 0-3 0-0 0, Ebie 1-1 2-2 5, Morones 0-0 0-0 0, Wall 0-3 6-8 6, Ibikunle 0-3 0-0 0, Fishel 0-0 0-0 0, Adams 2-4 2-2 6, Dunbar 0-1 0-0 0, Hawkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-52 23-31 66.
COLORADO STATE (15-9, 5-7)
J. Smith 6-7 6-9 18, Creason 5-5 1-3 11, Lewis 2-6 0-2 4, T. Smith 3-9 2-4 8, Denson 2-6 6-8 12, Kilby 4-4 3-3 11, F. Robinson 0-2 2-2 2, Aguilar 0-0 0-0 0, Collins 1-1 0-0 2, Gilling 5-8 2-2 14. Totals 28-48 22-33 82.
Halftime – Colorado State 45-32. 3-point goals – TCU 5-16 (Hackett 3-8, Owens 1-1, Ebie 1-1, Adams 0-1, Dunbar 0-1, Wall 0-1, Langford 0-1, Dougherty 0-2); Colorado State 4-13 (Denson 2-3, Gilling 2-5, F. Robinson 0-1, T. Smith 0-2, Lewis 0-2). Fouled out – Ibikunle, Parker. Rebounds – TCU 21 (Owens 11), Colorado State 40 (J. Smith 14). Assists – TCU 8 (Hackett 2, Parker 2); Colorado State 18 (Lewis 5). Total fouls – TCU 25, Colorado St. 23. A – 3,450.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
