FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Jon Octeus had 18 points and Daniel Bejarano added 10 points with 15 rebounds and five assists as Colorado State defeated Illinois-Chicago 74-61 Monday night.
J.J. Avila also had 10 points for Colorado State (8-4).
UIC (5-8) led early but Avila made a layup at 11:22 for a 9-8 lead and the Rams never trailed after that, opening a 30-23 lead at the half. UIC closed to 51-45 following two free throws by Marc Brown at the 9:23 mark, but the Rams then scored six straight points in the paint and Octeus hit a 3-pointer on a 9-2 run to pull ahead 60-47 with 6:25 remaining in the second half. They had a 67-53 advantage with 3:34 remaining in the game.
Colorado State controlled the boards, pulling down 43 rebounds, compared to UIC’s 31.
Kelsey Barlow led UIC with 20 points.
