No. 20 Colorado State holds off Washington 86-81 to remain unbeaten

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Joel Scott led five players in double figures with 17 points and No. 20 Colorado State defeated Washington 86-81 on Saturday.

Scott buried a 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining in the game to break a 78-78 tie, as the Rams (8-0) held off the Huskies (4-3) to remain unbeaten.

The Rams overcame a seven-point deficit midway through the second half, one of several it faced in the game.

Josiah Strong and Patrick Cartier each scored 16 for the Rams. Isaiah Stevens finished with 12 points and Joe Palmer chipped in 10.

Washington’s Moses Wood led all scorers with 21 points and also had eight rebounds. Keion Brooks Jr. had 20 points with seven rebounds, Paul Mulcahy finished with 14 and Sahvir Wheeler contributed with 13.

Washington opened the game by taking an early 7-1 lead while Colorado State missed its first four shots. The Rams, however, used a 14-0 run to take a 21-12 lead midway through the first half. Sparked by Wood and Mulcahy, however, the Huskies quickly turned the tables by ending a near five-minute drought and using a 15-5 run to retake the lead, 27-26.

The teams traded baskets from there, but it was Washington being able to take advantage of Stevens’ absence, after committing his third foul with a little more than five minutes left in the first half. The Huskies built a seven-point lead before heading into the locker room with a 44-41 lead at halftime.

Washington got a lot of its production from long range, as it hit 7 of 14 (50%) from 3-point range, while it also outscored Colorado state in transition, 12-5.

BIG PICTURE

Washington: The Huskies came into the game ranked 110th in the nation with 73% free-throw shooting. They shot just 64.3% from the line Saturday, their second-lowest percentage of the season.

Colorado State: The Rams, who lead the Mountain West and rank third nationally with their assist-to-turnover ratio (2.09), finished with an impressive 17 assists versus only eight turnovers.

UP NEXT

Washington: Opens a four-game homestand against Montana State on Tuesday.

Colorado State: Opens a three-game homestand against Denver on Wednesday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball