The first half couldn't have gone much worse for the College of Southern Idaho men's basketball team. The second half couldn't have gone much better.

The Golden Eagles opened the 2009-10 season with a 90-73 win over Northwest (Wyo.) College Friday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Tip-Off Classic in Casper, Wyo.

The only thing CSI did consistently in the early going was turn the ball over. The Trappers, meanwhile, started hot behind the play of sophomore forward Casper Hesseldal, who scored 10 of his team's first 12 points.

CSI trailed 7-0, 14-2 and 29-10 before rallying to trail 44-33 at halftime.

"It's almost like we forgot the whole last month of practice," CSI head coach Steve Gosar said. … "That was one of the toughest first halves I've ever had to get through."

Forwards Josten Thomas and Brandon Givens combined for 16 first-half points to keep CSI in striking distance, while point guard Pierre Jackson came off the bench to provide a big spark, according to Gosar.

After intermission, it was all CSI as the Eagles shot 59 percent and outscored the Trappers 57-29.

CSI took control with a 13-2 run that turned a 54-50 deficit into a 63-56 lead. Byago Diouf hit a pair of 3-pointers in the spurt, while Carrick Felix had a 3-point play to give CSI its first lead of the game at 56-54.

"We settled in," said Gosar. "We still didn't play great, but we played together and made some things happen."

The Golden Eagles got 18 points from Felix, 17 from Thomas and 15 from Chuck Odum. Diouf added 12.

Gosar praised backup center Romario Souza, who provided defense and rebounding despite a bad back that has kept him out of practice the past two weeks. Starting center Kenny Buckner picked up two fouls in the opening minutes and was whistled for his fourth early in the second half, relegating him almost entirely to the bench in his collegiate debut.

Hesseldal, who was held to five points after halftime, finished with 18 points before fouling out. Freshman Alfonzo Hubbard had a game-high 25 points to lead 0-2 Northwest.

CSI will face tourney host Casper College at 7:30 tonight. The game can be heard live on 1450 AM KEZJ.

"We're going to have to play better than we did (Friday), for sure," said Gosar. "We have to come out considerably more aggressive."

CSI women

No. 8 CSI 75, Western Wyoming 65

The College of Southern Idaho women gutted out a 75-65 win over Western Wyoming Community College at the Sheridan (Wyo.) Tournament on Friday.

The No. 8 Golden Eagles fell behind 12-2, but freshman point guard Daidra Brown scored 12 of her game-high 22 points in the first half as CSI rallied for a 34-26 halftime edge.

Western Wyoming crept within four points in the second half before CSI quickly rebuilt a double-digit lead and held on.

CSI head coach Randy Rogers was frustrated with his team's defensive breakdowns throughout the game. The Golden Eagles were a step slow on many plays and sent the Mustangs to the foul line repeatedly.

Preseason All-American Shauneice Samms scored just six points before fouling out in the late going.

"We're just not moving our feet and getting a body on people and boxing out," Rogers told 1450 AM KEZJ.

Offensively, CSI had 23 turnovers to only five assists, a ratio Rogers called "unacceptable."

"We were just never in a rhythm tonight," he said. "A lot of freshmen, a lot of mistakes."

Maddy Plunkett, who returned to practice this week after missing a month due to tendonitis in her right knee, had 14 points and six rebounds off the bench. No other Golden Eagles reached double-figure scoring.

Susi Walmsley's 15 points led WWCC..

CSI takes on tournament host Sheridan College at 3 p.m. today. The game will be broadcast live on 1450 AM KEZJ.

Men's box

CSI 90, Northwest College 73

NORTHWEST (73)

Mitchell Ackelson 5, Demetrice Jacobs 11, Ricardo Bodra 3, Casper Hesseldal 18, Alfonzo Hubbard 25, Valdez Green 4, Amen Osayande 3, Keeton Tucker 6. Totals: 23-62 26-32 73.

CSI (90)

D.J. Stennis 0 4-4 4, Pierre Jackson 2 1-2 5, Chuck Odum 5 5-6 15, Byago Diouf 5 0-2 12, Keon Pledger 2 0-4 4, Carrick Felix 4 9-10 18, Josten Thomas 8 1-3 17, Brandon Givens 1 6-6 8, Romario Souza 2 0-0 4, Kenny Buckner 1 1-2 3. Totals 30-56 27-39 90.

Women's box

No. 8 CSI 75, Western Wyoming CC 65

No. 8 CSI (75)

Daidra Brown 22, Maddy Plunkett 14, Emiliya Yancheva 7, Laurel Kearsley 7, Devan Matkin 5, Kylie Hardison 5, Shauneice Samms 6, Kalika Tullock 2, Tina Fakahafua 3, Felicity Jones 4.

Western Wyoming CC (65)

Individual statistics not available.