FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Omaha men's basketball team cut it to a six-point deficit in the second half but came up short Wednesday night at Colorado State, falling 80-65 at Moby Arena. The Mavericks are now 2-2 on the season, while the Rams improve to 2-1.
 
Leaders for Omaha
Marlon Ruffin had a breakout performance off the bench, posting a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting with four triples. He added a team-leading eight rebounds, matching teammate Matt Pile on the glass.
 
JT Gibson hit three 3-pointers on the way to 15 points, and Ayo Akinwole added 10 more alongside a game-high six assists.
 
Leaders for Colorado State
Nico Carvacho was the catalyst for Colorado State, as his double-double came on 21 points and 19 rebounds with five assists. Adam Thistlewood put up 19 points and seven rebounds, and Kendle Moore (16 points) and Isaiah Stevens (11) also scored in double figures.
 
Team Stats
CSU shot 47.5% (29-of-61) from the field and held Omaha to 35.4% (23-of-65). The Rams had a 43-37 advantage on the boards and a 34-18 edge in the paint.
 
Inside the First Half
Omaha assumed an early lead with a 10-3 start before a 13-2 spurt pushed it to the Rams' favor, 16-12. A KJ Robinson three finally ended the Mavericks' four-minute scoring drought.
 
A Zach Thornhill pull-up jumper and Ruffin's first triple of the night put Omaha back on top 23-20 with under five to the break, and an Ayo Akinwole trey later pushed it to 29-24. Despite it being Omaha's final field goal of the half, the Mavericks trailed by just two at the break, 35-33.
 
Inside the Second Half
CSU caught fire to start the second half, building to a 16-2 run while Omaha scoreless for more than five minutes. A Ruffin three finally staunched the run at 51-38.
 
After trailing by as many as 16, threes from Ruffin, Gibson and Akinwole contributed a 13-3 run that cut it to 54-48 at 8:40. But CSU responded with another 10-0 run over 2:28 to take it back out to a double-digit lead.
 
Up Next
Omaha continues its three-game road swing on Monday, Nov. 19 at Dayton, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. CT in Dayton, Ohio. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.