Dec. 11, 2002

Box Score

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The University of Denver men's basketball team could not overcome 63 percent shooting by the Colorado State University Rams, dropping a 96-80 decision to the in-state-rival at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo., on Wednesday night.

"We played well on the offensive end of the floor, but we were just unable to stop them," said head coach Terry Carroll. "Tomorrow we will get after it and put a lot of effort into working on our defense."

Denver was led by junior center Brett Starkey's (Lakewood, Colo.) career-high-tying 17 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Erik Benzel (Spokane, Wash.) helped the Pioneer effort with 16 points and two steals. Junior forward Zeljko Zupic (Sinj, Croatia) had a solid outing, dropping in all of his 11 points in the second half. CSU's Matt Nelson led all scores with 20 points.

The Pioneers' first half road woes continued as they only shot 37 percent (10-of-27) from the floor. Denver's defense and rebounding kept them close for the first 15 minutes, but the Rams finally broke through shooting 66 percent (21-of-32) from the field. The turnover bug finally bit the Pioneers in the first frame as they turned the ball over 10 times, compared to only two for CSU. Denver's poor shooting and turnovers led to a 53-31Ram lead at the half.

The only trend to continue in the second half was the Rams shooting. They opened up a 31 point lead by shooting 60 percent (18-of-30). The Pioneers battled back as they warmed up, scoring 49 points in the second frame while only turning the ball over two times.

The Pioneers return home Saturday night when they play host to Chicago State in Magness Arena. Game time is set for 7 p.m.