Colorado State routs TCU, advances to MWC semifinals
In need of defense, rebounding and at least one more notch in the win column, Colorado State turned to junior Pierce Hornung, the ideal blue-collar player.
Hornung turned in a dominant performance, totaling 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead the fourth-seeded Rams to an 81-60 romp over fifth-seeded Texas Christian in a Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinal Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Rams (20-10) arrived in Las Vegas with a body of work that put them on the NCAA Tournament bubble. One win might have been all they needed to get in, but Hornung didn’t want to hear it.
“We came here with one goal and one goal only, and that’s to win this tournament,” said Hornung, a 6-foot-5-inch forward who shot 8-for-11 and added four steals.
Colorado State shot 59 percent en route to a 42-26 halftime lead. The Horned Frogs (17-14) cut their deficit to 11 before Hornung responded with two dunks and layup during a 15-4 run for the Rams midway through the second half.
“It was definitely a game plan to attack them and keep attacking them,” said Hornung, who pulled down nine offensive rebounds and helped Colorado State pound out 50 points in the paint.
Senior guard Hank Thorns scored 19 points for TCU, which is headed for the Big 12 Conference next season and left the Mountain West with a whimper.
“We just didn’t come to play. No excuses,” said Thorns, a Valley High product. “We acted like we had nothing to play for. We played poor defensively, me included.”
The Horned Frogs shot 2-for-20 from 3-point range. Wes Eikmeier made three 3s and had 15 points for the Rams, who face top-seeded San Diego State in today’s semifinals.
Jamaal Franklin, the conference Player of the Year, sank a buzzer-beating 3 to lift the Aztecs to a 65-62 victory over Boise State. When asked what it would take to shut down Franklin, Colorado State coach Tim Miles said, “Where is Jeff Gillooly at, or whatever his name is? That was a joke.”
Gillooly was notorious for an attack that injured figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. After laughing, Miles said the Rams will unleash Hornung and a variety of defenders on Franklin.
“Pierce is the best defender in the Mountain West Conference. The kid is unreal. He has great heart,” Miles said. “He’s the epitome of what you hoped your son to be the way he plays.”
J.R. Cadot, who added 10 points for TCU, said, “Hornung’s a tough-nosed player. To be a tough team, you need a player like him to do all the dirty work.”
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.