LAS VEGAS (AP) — Pierce Hornung had 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead six players in double figures for No. 4 seed Colorado State, which routed No. 5 seed TCU 81-60 in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference tournament on Thursday.
The Rams (20-10), who kept alive their bid for their first NCAA tournament berth since 2003, will face top-seeded and No. 18 San Diego State in the semifinals Friday night. SDSU beat Boise State 65-62.
Wes Eikmeier, who had two 3-pointers in scoring the game’s first eight points, finished with 15 points. Will Bell scored 14, Dwight Smith 13, Dorian Green 11 and Jesse Carr 10 for the Rams.
CSU jumped to a 9-0 lead and had the margin up to double digits before the midway point of the first half.
Hank Thorns, who is from Las Vegas, scored 19 for TCU (17-14) and J.R. Cadot had 10.
