Colorado State men’s basketball didn’t fix everything Saturday, but it did enough.
Behind strong bench production and a dominant rebounding effort, CSU outlasted San Jose State 65-57 at Moby Arena, snapping a 3-game losing streak.
Shots didn’t fall consistently and the rhythm never fully showed, but after a frustrating loss in Laramie a week ago, the Rams found a way to grind out a win when they needed one.
Both teams struggled offensively
CSU and SJSU combined to shoot under 40% from the field, and neither side ever looked totally comfortable from deep. CSU finished 6-of-27 from 3, while the Spartans weren’t much better at 5-of-20. There were stretches where the ball moved and shots were generated, but few of them where those possessions actually ended cleanly.
The Rams led 30-29 at halftime despite neither team cracking 30% shooting from the floor in the first half. The second half didn’t open things up much either, staying tight and physical until late.
“With shots not going down and then making shots maybe, like, (with the) refs and not getting the calls we want, it can lead to a lot of frustration,” Rashaan Mbemba said. “But we try to in practice recreate that environment so we can, like, move on to the next play and focus on just the moment and not getting (frustrated or spiraling) down during the game.”
It was a game where both teams had to find other margins to survive.
Mbemba posts double-double
The big man anchored the interior for CSU off the bench, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes. More importantly, his presence helped swing the rebounding battle heavily in the Rams’ favor. CSU finished with a 48-28 edge on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds that repeatedly extended possessions.
That rebounding margin mattered in a game where every extra look felt valuable.
“I mean, we outrebounded them about 20 so, I mean, (it was) still only eight point game,” Jevin Muniz said. “We can shoot the ball a lot better. We know that. We (are going to) keep working on that. So (we will) just keep playing possession, by possession not look too far (ahead).”
SJSU struggled to finish defensive possessions, and CSU made them pay just enough. Second-chance points, paint touches and late rebounds helped stabilize the Rams when the offense stalled.
CSU’s bench changed the game
The Rams separated behind bench production.
CSU’s bench outscored SJSU’s 36–10, with Muniz and Mbemba headlining that group. Muniz led all Rams with 15 points and added five assists, providing a steady presence and tough shots when the offense needed organizing.
CSU was able to rotate consistently, and that showed late, particularly in how the Rams controlled the final stretches without needing a late scoring burst.
“Yeah, we knew, like three guys were going to play 40 minutes for (SJSU),” Muniz said. “Throughout the game, you know, that’s kind of hard to keep the same level of how they’re playing them in the game. So just wearing them down, we knew it would come to the end of it. So (we were) just sticking to that.”
That depth advantage didn’t blow the game open, but it allowed CSU to maintain control when things tightened.
“That was a goal,” head coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. “I thought (the bench) kept the lead, or really, though, the bench was kind of the ones playing in crunch time, too. … In an 8-point win, they all played the way we wanted too. And I hope that’s going to carry going forward for us, like really believe that.”
After a three-game losing streak and a frustrating offensive showing at Wyoming, the Rams needed a result more than a breakthrough. The lead hovered around five points for much of the final stretch, and San Jose State stayed within striking distance until the final minute.
The Rams did enough of the small things.
And in conference play, those still matter.
Next Up
CSU hits the road again to face Air Force in Colorado Springs Tuesday.
And while the shooting isn’t clicking consistently, the rebounding, depth and defensive effort gave the Rams something to lean on late in conference play.
Interested in more sports content? Sign up for Ram Report here for weekly CSU sports updates!
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
