Box Score

EL PASO, Texas – A hot-shooting Colorado State squad had too much firepower for the Jacksonville State men's basketball team on Thursday and handed the Gamecocks a 79-56 defeat in the championship game of the Bank of the West Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational.

The Rams (9-4) shot a blistering 60 percent from the floor and held the Gamecocks to just a .321 clip in snapping JSU's short two-game winning streak. CSU led by 10 at the half and then pulled away late in the game to extend its winning streak to four, including a win over host UTEP in Wednesday's opening round. JSU rolled over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday to reach the title game.

Colorado State's leading scorer Wes Eikmeier poured in a career-high 25 points on a 7-for-14 shooting night and a 10-for-12 effort from the free throw line. The junior earned tournament MVP honors after scoring 15 of his points in the second half.

The Gamecocks got 15 points from junior Tarvin Gaines, who has now scored in double figures in each of his two games back from a concussion that sidelined him for two games. He was 5-for-9 from the floor and grabbed three rebounds in the loss. The native of West Memphis, Ark., joined Eikmer, CSU's Will Bell, Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Daniel Broughton and UTEP's Gabe McCulley on the All-Tournament Team.

Senior Stephen Hall scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Brian Williams, JSU's leading scorer entering the game, was limited to just five points on a night in which he went just 2-for-11 from the floor. It snapped a streak of four-straight games in which the Lawrenceville, Ga., native has scored in double figures.

CSU's Pierce Hornung led the Rams to a 36-31 advantage on the glass with a game-high 12 boards. He also scored six points in the win. Dwight Smith was 5-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the stripe to add 15 points for the Rams.

JSU struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting just 32 percent from the floor. The Gamecocks hung in the game through the first 20 minutes and, despite watching CSU shoot 58 percent from the floor and going 13-for-16 from the free throw line, trailed by just 10 at the intermission.

JSU pulled to within four at 37-33 with 17:09 to play, but the Rams answered with a 10-3 run that put them back up by double digits.

The Gamecocks couldn't muster a run in the second half and watched the Rams continue to blister the nets in pulling away down the stretch.

The Gamecocks continue their road trip, heading to Edwardsville, Ill., where they will face Ohio Valley Conference newbie SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. before wrapping up the trip on Monday at 7:45 p.m. at Southeast Missouri.