LAS VEGAS (AP) Daniel Bejarano scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Colorado State survived the loss of leading scorer J.J. Avila in the first half to beat Fresno State 71-59 on Thursday night in the Mountain West Conference tournament.
Friday, the third-seeded Rams (27-5), who set a school record with their 27th victory, will play No. 2 seed San Diego State, which defeated No. 7 seed UNLV 67-64 earlier Thursday.
Avila left the game with an ankle sprain with 6:45 left in the first half and Colorado State leading by three. The Rams responded by finishing the half on a 23-8 run that included five consecutive 3-pointers for a 40-22 lead.
Sixth-seeded Fresno State opened the second half with a 19-7 run to close within six, 47-41. The Bulldogs (15-17) wouldn't get closer as the Rams used an 11-3 run to go back up by 14.
Cezar Guerrero led Fresno State with 16 points before fouling out.
The Bulldogs' leading scorer, Marvelle Harris, was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting.
