Colorado State men’s basketball had a point to prove, and in front of an audience of 8,083, it did.

Just a season ago, the Rams fell in a disappointing fashion to their biggest rival: Colorado. But with a new team and coach, CSU had to show that it not only could hold its own, but take down a team that’s undefeated.

And despite running it down to the wire, the Rams pulled through with a 91-86 win Saturday.

“They’re a good team for a reason, they’re undefeated for a reason,” Kyle Jorgensen said. “I mean, it’s tough. But at the end of the day, you just (have) got to just play to your strengths. And in that zone, I think that zone really helped us.”

Because of this win, CU’s clean slate dropped from 8-0 to 8-1, but it wasn’t always a smooth lead. The Rams ran away near the beginning of the first half, but the second half told a different story. Whether it was the Buffs hitting their groove or simply CSU slowing down, the score and tension grew tighter.

But the tight matchup allowed the Rams’ to put on a show of depth. But the gift that kept on giving was none other than Josh Pascarelli. Through his steadfast performance, the 6-foot-3 guard put up eight of his 10 3’s, sinking in shots whenever CSU needed them most.

Whether it was to get the momentum going, or bridge the gap of the Buffs’ lead, Pascarelli was there and so were his shots, as he finished with 26 points.

“He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at shooting,” Jorgensen said. “There’s no other good feeling then (when) somebody gets a 3, and then hits another one and hits another one, and it just (is great), man. So I know when he’s hot … I swear I feed him the ball as much as possible.”

But after falling behind in the second half, the final nail in the coffin that secured the win — causing Ram fans to storm the court after — was Jorgensen.

If CU had the chance to put the ball in just one more time there was more than a good chance that the game could go into overtime. But Jorgensen played his cards right and found himself at the free throw line.

And after putting one in, he practically guaranteed CSU a win as there was enough time on the board for the Buffs to get either two or three more points, but not four.

“The best thing about this group is we don’t set ceilings on anybody,” head coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. “Because I’ve seen it with Nique (Clifford) … it was going to be David Roddy, all these guys, so I’m not putting a ceiling on Kyle. And I think this is just the stepping stone for him.”

But this was a game full of pressure, a rivalry that has caught to many in the past. In 2024, star Clifford was held to just 10 points, leaving the game disappointed. But Saturday, Jorgensen proved his resiliency and showcased it in a perfectly competitive game.

“(Clifford) was devastated on the bus ride home, and he put a lot of himself,” Jorgensen said. “I was devastated too. You know, they were saying some things after the game that I don’t really necessarily like. And I knew as soon as (we) had (them) at home this year, this is (the game) I had circled.”

Jorgensen tacked on seven rebounds of his own, all of which were defense, helping a team especially who thrives more offensively than defensively.

But even for newer players who don’t have that personal attachment to the Rocky Mountain Showdown, they stepped up to take down the Buffs. Transfer Jevin Muniz helped the Rams by notching the most turnovers and second-most assists with four in each category.

“What we thought when Jevin first came here was he was a secondary playmaker,” Farokhmanesh said. “And right now he’s making all those reads, and it also allows us to get Brandon (Rechsteiner) off the ball. To get him more shots … you got to be able to play him off the ball too. So Jevin has allowed for those other guys to get the shots that they can get.”

And — as Farokhmanesh pointed out — Rechsteiner was able to use his teammates and put up extra points with 11. But he also helped set up several shots as he tallied the most number of assists for the game with six.

But even players who didn’t necessarily make too much of an impact statistically had their moments in the game.

“The one thing with (Carey Booth) is he’s always a presence,” Farokhmanesh said. “Just with his size and his movement and his spacing and reading. Then he shoots the ball at such a high level, he pulls gravity out towards him.”

But despite not filling out the stat sheet as much as usual, Booth has several more opportunities to shine in the coming games. The Rams consistently point out that it could be anyone’s night during any given matchup, leaving fans to wonder following Pascarelli’s great performance, who will be next?

CSU will face off in another home game against Dartmouth 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.

“(The) whole thing about our group (is) being resilient, and (CU) went on a really good run,” Pascarelli said. “I mean, they’re a good basketball team, and that’s what happens. But basketball’s basketball, and if you’re resilient, you can fight back. You don’t let that get to you. And then I just am really proud of everyone on the team.”

Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophgwebb.

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