Bulldogs Fall Short In Ram Classic Final Gonzaga’s Foul Troubles Open Door For Colorado State

The whistles weren’t blowing Gonzaga’s way Saturday night at the Bank One-Foothills Dodge Ram Classic in Fort Collins, Colo.

The end result for the Bulldogs was a 72-61 loss to the host Colorado State Rams in the title game.

The difference in the game came at the free-throw line.

Colorado State (6-1) made 20 of 34 foul shots to 7-for-8 shooting for Gonzaga (3-3). The Rams were whistled for just 13 fouls for the game; the Bulldogs committed 29 fouls.

“It was very frustrating for us,” said Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgerald. “We played as hard as we have in a while, and I’m proud of our effort, but we couldn’t overcome our foul problems.”

The Bulldogs lost starter Mike Leasure when he picked up his fifth foul with 4 minutes remaining, and then all-tournament selection Lorenzo Rollins fouled out with 2-1/2 minutes to play.

Matt Barnett scored 16 points and snared 10 rebounds, and teammates Bryan Christiansen and Milton Palacio each scored 15 to lead Colorado State.

The game was close in the first half, with CSU gaining a 32-29 edge at the intermission.

The Rams opened a nine-point lead early in the second half, sparked by seven points from Palacio. Gonzaga rallied to within one point on Matt Santangelo’s 3-pointer with 8:39 remaining.

The Rams then hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch en route to their fourth consecutive win.

Santangelo led Gonzaga with 15 points. The only other Gonzaga player to reach double figures in scoring was Rollins with 12. Leasure topped the Bulldogs with 10 rebounds.

The Bulldogs set a tournament record by making 58 shots in the two games. Gonzaga also set the single-game record with 34 shots made against Texas-San Antonio on Friday night.

“It was a great preseason tournament to be in,” said Fitzgerald. “They had a big crowd both nights and the competition was good for us.”

Texas-San Antonio defeated Cal State Sacramento 68-54 for third place.

Gonzaga is at home against Montana State on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Colorado St. 72, Gonzaga 61

Gonzaga (3-3) - Leasure 2-10 0-0 4, Rollins 5-16 0-0 12, Hendrix 1-2 0-0 2, Williams 4-13 0-0 9, Santangelo 6-14 0-0 15, Frahm 2-6 2-2 6, Dench 1-5 2-2 4, Nemeth 0-2 0-0 0, Eaton 2-2 3-4 7, McKnight 0-1 0-0 0, Griffin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-72 8-8 61.

Colorado St. (6-1) - Christiansen 5-16 3-4 15, Barnett 5-13 5-6 16, Chilton 1-1 6-8 8, Palacio 6-8 2-3 15, Mahmud 3-10 2-5 9, Benson 1-2 1-2 4, Johnson 2-3 1-6 5, Smith 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-54 20-34 72.

Halftime-Colorado St. 32, Gonzaga 29. 3-Point goals Gonzaga 6-26 (Rollins 2-11, Williams 1-7, Santangelo 3-6, Frahm 0-2), Colorado St. 6-14 (Christiansen 2-5, Barnett 1-1, Palacio 1-1, Mahmud 1-4, Benson 1-2, Smith 0-1). Fouled out-Leasure, Rollins. Rebounds-Gonzaga 43 (Leasure 10), Colorado St. 46 (Palacio 11). Assists-Gonzaga 15 (Williams 4), Colorado St. 13 (Palacio 5). Total fouls-Gonzaga 29, Colorado St. 13. A-5,476.

, DataTimes