DENVER—Travis Franklin scored 22 points, Andy Ogide had 15 and Colorado State shook off a slow start to beat Denver 77-66 on Thursday night.
Franklin and Ogide dominated inside, combining to go 14 for 23 from the field against a banged-up Pioneers front line.
“They were a little more physical than us, and that’s something we have to get better at,” Denver coach Joe Scott said.
The Rams (2-0) trailed by nine early but rallied to take a 38-34 lead at halftime. They opened the second half on a 10-4 run to push the lead to 48-38 with 14:50 left.
“The first five minutes of the second half is very important,” said Rams coach Tim Miles, who beat an in-state rival for the first time in his four years at Colorado State. “The second half push they were just comfortable. They were relaxed and in an aggressive, attacking mode and we were able to extend the lead.”
Colorado State finished shooting 58.7 percent.
Brian Stafford led the Pioneers (0-4) with 26 points and Chase Hallam had 13.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Pierce Hornung and Wes Eikmeier gave the Rams a 54-41 lead.
Travis Hallam’s 3-pointer midway through the half brought Denver to within 55-48, but Adam Nigon answered with a 3 of his own and Ogide had a layup and free throw to help stretch the lead to 65-51 with 5:46 left.
Denver got within 66-57 on a layup by Stafford but the Rams’ Jesse Carr hit a 3-pointer and a layup to get the lead back to 14 with 3:10 left.
“Playing a team like Denver, especially at home, is hard,” Ogide said. “You have to grind it out. You’ve got to find the right time to attack, you can’t rush it. They’re not going to let you rush it.”
Denver missed several layups in the second half and struggled from the field after a hot start and shot just 44.7 percent from the field.
“We have to get better at finishing plays,” Scott said. “We would get it and it would roll around and out. They would get it and make them.”
The Pioneers, who lost three straight at the Oregon BTI Tournament to open the season, were looking to get their first win on their home court where they have gone 36-7 in Scott’s tenure. They started strong, hitting five of their first seven shots to grab an 11-2 lead.
A quick timeout by the Rams cooled off Denver, which finished the half 6 for 16 from the field.
“We were pretty good the rest of the 35 minutes,” Miles said. “Their style takes a while to get used to. The zone is a little shifty and it’s hard to find the seams. It’s hard to get used to their style. It’s like a root canal.”
Franklin muscled his way to 13 points in the first half to pace the Rams.
“Travis is so crafty,” Miles said. “He did an excellent job.”
The Pioneers had their 15-game home winning streak snapped.
“It wasn’t a pretty basketball game. It was an ugly game,” Scott said. “Our team needs to learn how to win ugly games.”
