FORT COLLINS — While a majority of the Mountain West was gearing up for the start of conference play Wednesday, Colorado State had one last tuneup before its league opener Saturday.
NCAA Division II Regis (3-9) wasn’t the greatest measuring stick, but the Rams (8-5) took care of business in a 77-53 win Tuesday afternoon before 3,103 at Moby Arena.
The Rams’ frontcourt at times has been an afterthought, with the team frequently going with four-guard lineups. But Tuesday provided the chance for big men Tiel Daniels and Emmanuel Omogbo to dominate inside.
Daniels had 12 points and nine rebounds and Omogbo 15 points and eight rebounds. They helped the Rams to a 40-10 edge in points in the paint and a 47-32 advantage on the glass.
“Sometimes we don’t front the post right (defensively) and it shows, but tonight was really a little confidence booster for us going into conference,” said Daniels, who was 5-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. “We know what we’re capable of and we’ve just got to get down there, eyes up and just finish those plays.”
John Gillon also had 12 points and five assists, and Antwan Scott and J.D. Paige each scored 11 points for the Rams.
“I thought we did some really good things today. The last three games we’ve gotten a lot better,” said CSU coach Larry Eustachy, whose team was coming off an eight-day break after last Monday’s victory over South Carolina-Upstate. “It’s a tough game to play today under the circumstances, and I thought we came back, and as a whole, it was a passing grade for sure.”
