Colorado State battles UNLV rebellion in red, white, blue

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Collegian | Avery Coates

John Tonje (1), a Colorado State University guard, looks back at the net preparing to shoot against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Jan. 31.

Lee Medley

Karsyn Lane, Sports Director

Nothing shows state pride better than red, white and royal blue uniforms as the Colorado State University men’s basketball team hosted the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Moby Arena tonight. After a rough battle against the Rebels, the Rams lost 83-71.

Prior to tonight’s matchup, senior guard Isaiah Stevens was recognized for his most recent record-breaking accomplishment: Colorado State’s all-time career assist record. Earlier this month, Stevens pulled off a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to shut out UNLV 82-81 in overtime at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. 

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“I like to do both, score and pass. It’s not always on me to just come out here and just say, ‘Alright, I’m going to get mine.’ That’s just not me. I tried it when I was younger, and it didn’t really work out too well for me.” -Isaiah Stevens, senior guard

With this as the first home game back in over a week, the Rams didn’t hesitate to kick it off strong with a 6-0 run in the first three minutes of the match. Despite the quick start, the Rebels began to rebel and stole the lead faster than the Rams could recover. Only 10 minutes into the half, Colorado State found themselves trailing 22-15 due to a lack of defense and allowing three turnovers. 

Soon the lead began to dwindle and slowly got back in the hands of the Rams. With great drive, senior guard John Tonje pushed through the paint, drawing a technical foul, shooting three from the free-throw line and closing the lead to 24-23. Unfortunately, in the final minute of the first half, sophomore guard Jalen Lake experienced an intense foul injury and was taken out of the game, sending CSU into halftime down 30-39.

“Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to return, but we should find out more tomorrow,” head coach Niko Medved said regarding Lake’s lack of appearance in the second half.

Coming back from the half, Colorado State still showed signs of struggle and couldn’t score until junior guard Isaiah Rivera was fouled and shot two from the free-throw line. The Rams just couldn’t make up for the lack of offensive rebounds, 3-point shooting and an outstanding number of turnovers. Regardless of where you sat in Moby, Medved’s obvious frustration began to rub off in the atmosphere.

 

In the final 11 minutes of the second half, the possibility of a win begin to slip away as the Rebels racked the lead 64-43, leaving the Rams battling for damage control. A 20-point lead lingered over the Rams’ heads as they did their best to close out and push through. Momentum soon began to pick up as Stevens made a deep 3-pointer from the corner with almost three minutes left.

“I’m the floor general,” Stevens said. “I like to do both, score and pass. It’s not always on me to just come out here and just say, ‘Alright, I’m going to get mine.’ That’s just not me. I tried it when I was younger, and it didn’t really work out too well for me.”

In spite of their efforts, the Colorado State Rams fell short of the UNLV rebellion and lost 83-71. The Rams will be back in Moby Arena 6 p.m. Saturday to take on Utah State University. 

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Reach Karsyn Lane at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @karsynlane1