National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Colorado St. 71, Boise St. 65
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Where: Moby Arena, Fort Collins, Colorado
Officials: # Verne Harris, # Shawn Lehigh, # Mike Scyphers
Attendance: 5115

No. 24 Colorado State 71, Boise State 65: John Gillon scored a career-high 25 points and J.J. Avila added 13 as the Rams edged the visiting Broncos in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.

Daniel Bejarano collected 11 points and eight rebounds for Colorado State (14-0, 1-0), whose 14-0 start represents the longest winning streak in school history. Gillon was 4-for-4 from 3-point range and 9-for-11 from the foul line while Avila registered four rebounds, four assists and three steals before fouling out with 3:41 remaining.

Mikey Thompson led Boise State (10-4, 0-1) with 20 points while Robert Heyer added nine and five rebounds off the bench. Nick Duncan scored eight points while leading scorer Derrick Marks also was held to eight for the Broncos, who have lost two straight following a six-game winning streak.

Boise State used a 14-0 run in the opening period to move ahead 22-8 before the Rams cut the deficit to 33-28 at the break. Colorado State continued its surge early in the second half and took its first lead since 6-4 when Gillon hit a 3-pointer to make it 47-46 with 12:36 left.

Thompson scored with just under two minutes left to pull the Broncos within 62-61, but Gillon converted a three-point play at the other end and added a free throw to extend the lead to 68-63. Marks scored with 13 seconds left before Gillon converted two foul shots to seal the win for the Rams, who improved to 5-11 in Mountain West openers.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Boise State played without senior wing Anthony Drmic, who will undergo ankle surgery next week and miss the rest of the season. Drmic is sixth in school history with 1,528 career points. … Colorado State has won seven of eight games at home against the Broncos. … F Stanton Kidd had eight points and five boards for the Rams, who are one of six remaining unbeaten teams in Division I.
Top Game Performances
 
Boise St.   Colorado St.
Mikey Thompson 20 Scoring John Gillon 25
Igor Hadziomerovic 3 Assists J.J. Avila 4
James Webb III 8 Rebounds Daniel Bejarano 8
Mikey Thompson 8 Free Throws Made John Gillon 9
Igor Hadziomerovic 2 Steals J.J. Avila 3
Derrick Marks 2 Blocks Stanton Kidd 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boise St. 65 43.6 6-20 11-17 8 29 3 4 9
Colorado St. 71 46.9 6-16 19-24 10 26 3 5 8
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