The game never truly felt out of reach.
And Moby Arena came alive as Colorado State men’s basketball retook the lead in the final minutes, hanging on and winning 79-68 over Wyoming Saturday. Despite turnover troubles, CSU sparked a 10-0 late in the second half, allowing the Rams to claw back after playing from behind for a large majority of the night.
CSU secured another bounce back game after recently beating Air Force on the road and improved to 6-8 in conference play.
Jase Butler shines again, closes game with steals
The Rams needed a little something down the stretch, and Jase Butler stepped up to provide.
Though no one player necessarily stood out from the others, the young guard sunk 11-of-12 free throws, accounting for the majority of his team-high 18 points.
But his impact plays came within minutes of the end of the game, as he substituted in with 12 minutes remaining and tallied 9 points, two critical steals, a rebound and an assist.
As a player who worked his way into the rotation midseason, Butler has provided steadiness and reliability in the absence and in addition of others.
CSU overcomes shot volume deficit
While the Cowboys maintained a steady lead for most of the match, it was mainly due to shooting 27 more attempts overall.
CSU’s 62% from the field and 46% from deep significantly topped UW, who finished at 41% and 32% respectively.
And five Rams contributed double digit points in a balanced scoring night, taking some pressure off the lineup with Josh Pascarelli exiting early. Jevin Muniz was among them, adding five rebounds and 3 assists while hitting his only 3-pointer.
Yet again, CSU’s bench put up 30 points, significantly impacting their odds. UW only had eight.
After playing eight minutes in the first half, Pascarelli left the match and didn’t return. He was spotted wearing a boot on the sideline.
Turnovers trouble the Rams once again
CSU has often played in runs this season, and momentum will shift against them amid consecutive turnovers. That was the case in the first half when the Cowboys broke free from an even 25-25 game, vaulting past to 36-27 off several Ram turnovers.
Finishing with 11 turnovers compared to UW’s five, CSU yielded 17 points off turnovers, contributing significantly to its first-half woes.
The Rams emphasized cutting to the hoop and posting more, and they generally succeeded, scoring 30 points in the paint.
CSU carries momentum into final 6 games
The Mountain West shocked the Rams after starting out 9-2 in nonconference games, but they’re now within a 3-game win streak after victories against San Jose State, AFA and now UW.
Rotation adjustments due to injury have caused issues this season, and that may continue to factor in. But improvements from Carey Booth, Muniz and Butler have allowed for more flexibility within lineups, changing offensive schemes at times.
For now, CSU is tied for eighth in the MW and has three home and three away games remaining.
Up next
CSU head to Thomas and Mack Arena to face MW No. 6 UNLV.
The Rams are 25-44 all-time against the Runnin’ Rebels and 7-25 on the road, but they pulled out a 70-62 win in their last meeting in Moby Jan. 9.
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Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
