Avila plays hero as No. 24 Colorado St. holds off New Mexico St. in OT
Colorado State remains one of seven unbeaten teams in the country.
Barely. And it was far from easy.
J.J. Avila made a go-ahead layup with 31 seconds left in overtime and the 24th-ranked Rams beat New Mexico State 58-57 on Saturday night to improve to 13-0 -- the best start in school history.
"I'm ecstatic, but it's behind us now," Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy said in an audio transcript provided by the team. "I never thought we'd go undefeated in nonconference, particularly with games like this on the road."
The 6-foot-8 Avila had five points and four rebounds in overtime. He finished with 19 points, and Stanton Kidd had 13.
"We've already all forgotten about this -- 13-0, that's fine," Avila said. "But now everyone is 0-0 (with conference play). The real stuff is starting."
Remi Barry scored 14 points for the Aggies (5-9) and Pascal Siakam added 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Siakam was fouled with 4 seconds left, but missed both free throws. Avila then missed two free throws with 2 seconds to go.
New Mexico State's Ian Baker forced overtime, hitting a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left.
"I'm proud of my guys and they showed a lot of heart," New Mexico coach Marvin Menzies said. "We had some missed opportunities at the free-throw line and a couple offensive rebounds that probably could have made a difference for us. At the end of the day we need to take care of the turnovers."
TIP-INS
Colorado State: The Rams played without starter Tiel Daniels (calf) and key backup Gian Clavell (shoulder). They were hurt Monday night against Charleston Southern. ... Colorado State was 21 of 60 from the field and missed all nine of its 3-point attempts.
New Mexico State: Baker finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. ... The Aggies were 19 of 50 from the field.
UP NEXT
Colorado State: Opens Mountain West Conference play Wednesday night at home against Boise State.
New Mexico State: Hosts Texas Southern on Tuesday night.
